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Ranked among the world’s top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 12,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors, health care professionals, and medical researchers, making remarkable discoveries to help create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.
The UBC Faculty of Medicine offers a diverse array of training opportunities including cutting-edge research experiences in the biosciences, globally recognized population health education, quality health professional training, as well as several certificate and online training options. The Faculty of Medicine is home to more than 1,700 graduate students housed in 20 graduate programs (14 of which offer doctoral research options). Year after year, research excellence in the Faculty of Medicine is supported by investment from funding sources here at home and around the globe, receiving approximately more than $1.8B in total research funding since 2016.
We value our trainees and the creative input they have to scholarly activities at UBC. Our priority is to enable their maximum potential through flexible opportunities that provide a breadth of experiences tailored to their own individual career objectives. We maintain high standards of excellence, and work to create a community of intellectually and socially engaged scholars that work collaboratively with each other, the university, and the world, with the overarching goal of promoting the health of individuals and communities.
Most Faculty research is conducted under the auspices of 23 centres and institutes that are part of UBC or affiliated with it, in collaboration with our health partners.
UBC Faculty of Medicine provides innovative educational and research programs in the areas of health and life sciences through an integrated and province-wide delivery model in facilities at locations throughout British Columbia.
The Life Sciences Centre is the largest building on the UBC Vancouver campus. Completed in 2004, the $125 million, 52,165 sq metres building was built to accommodate the distributed medical educational program and the Life Sciences Institute.
The Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH), a partnership between the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health, unites under one roof research and clinical expertise in neuroscience, psychiatry and neurology in order to accelerate discovery and translate new knowledge into better treatment and prevention strategies. DMCBH has both laboratory and clinical research areas within the Centre proper and in the UBC Hospital Koerner Pavilion. Our core facilities are essential to ongoing collaboration, teaching, and research.
The BC Children's Hospital Research Institute is it the largest research institute of its kind in Western Canada in terms of people, productivity, funding and size. With more than 350,000 square feet of space, the Institute has both 'wet bench' laboratory and 'dry lab' clinical research areas, and other areas to facilitate particular areas of research and training.
New knowledge and innovation are crucial to successfully identifying, addressing and overcoming the increasingly complex health-related challenges that influence the lives of all of us – in British Columbia, in Canada, and in countries and communities around the globe.
The UBC Faculty of Medicine is recognized nationally and internationally for research innovation that advances knowledge and translates new discoveries to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Research opportunities feature extensive collaborations across other faculties, health institutions and health partners across British Columbia, Canada and internationally.
The Faculty provides and fosters research excellence across the full continuum, from basic science to applied science and then to knowledge implementation, with a focus on precision health; cancer; brain and mental health; heart and lung health; population health; and chronic diseases.
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Medicine.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Dr. Bond studied the evolution, regulation, and function of the cell membrane proteins known as Pannexins. This work advances our basic understanding of the origins of these proteins and what they do at the molecular level. The research identified a relationship between Pannexin 3 and normal fetal bone development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Kuo studied a human enzyme that degrades Tryptophan and contributes to the persistence of tumours. Using biophysical methods, he discovered and characterized new chemical reactivities of this enzyme. His work advances our knowledge of how this enzyme works and that may enable new strategies to suppress these activities and thus combat cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Hanna investigated genetic and environmental risk factors for recurrent miscarriages in women. She found that elevated risk of recurrent miscarriage is associated with markers of accelerated aging and stress. This work has helped elucidate some of the complexity of this condition and provided a basis for future research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Jafarnejad conducted research into the human cancer, melanoma. His work revealed that the biological pathway downstream of the gene Sox4 is abnormal in cancer cells, and that plays an important role in the development of melanoma. These findings can lead toward the invention of new treatments for this disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Harrison developed a method for mapping motor areas of the brain by using laser light to stimulate neurons in the cortex. This technique was then applied to study the circuitry that controls voluntary movement and to investigate the ability of these circuits to rewire themselves after an ischemic stroke. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Chen studied the causes of autism in children. He showed that a mutated protein affects early brain development by limiting the growth of nerve cells. This mutation limits the ability of nerve cells to process information. These findings provide insights into how autism-associated mutations may produce abnormal brain development, resulting in persistent cognitive dysfunction. Dr.Chen's work contributes to the body of research into autism, its prevention and treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2012 | The rhythmic beat of the heart relies on electrical signals. Dr. Sarhan studied ways in which a specific electrical signal is regulated when it is conducted along pathways known as sodium channels. Through his research he uncovered a new pathway which was found to be disrupted in patients with cardiac arrhythmia, and this confirms its physiological relevance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. McMurchy studied the function of a protein called FOXP3 in human white blood cells and investigated ways to prevent rejection of transplanted organs using regulatory white blood cells. This research expands our knowledge of the immune system and could improve the health of organ transplant recipients | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Zheng used various proteomics methods to study cell membranes, especially lipid rafts on those membranes, which carry many biological functions. One of her findings was that the presence of lipid rafts may provide an entry point for life-threatening bacteria like Salmonella. Her research contributes to our knowledge of the function of membranes and the way bacteria affect them. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Ly studied the molecular events that lead to Alzheimer's disease. He identified the mechanism by which a protein called GSK3 aids in the production of senile plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. He also demonstrated that suppressing the activity of GSK3 prevented Alzheimer's disease and improved memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |