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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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Dr. Chan investigated the enzymes from which sugar molecules in bacterial cells are built. Using a special type of technique known as an NMR spectroscopy, he discovered that these enzymes are very flexible, which is crucial for their catalytic functions. Dr. Chan's research into how enzymes work will assist in developing drugs for treatment of gastro-intestinal diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Lal explored how youth recently diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder develop resilience, that is the capacity to cope with adversity. Her research showed that participants restore, maintain and enhance their resilience through the types of stories they tell in relation to their illness and the types of activities in which they engage. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Clark studied a school based intervention for elementary school students with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The year-long intervention encouraged teachers to develop ways to accommodate students by making the school environment fit the unique strengths and challenges of each student. She found the program may help students be more successful in school. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. So Alfaro discovered a novel function of the protein in the movement and proliferation of adult muscle stem cells. This research gives new insight to the mechanisms that are required for proper regeneration in cases of myodegenerative diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Coquinco created a novel microfluidic based model to study activity dependent neural circuitry formation. The insights obtained from this model further assists us in understanding brain development, learning and memory. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Hamilton studied the relationship between the immune system and cancer. She identified a subpopulation of immune cells that promote tumour growth by preventing the rest of the immune system from detecting and destroying cancer cells. This research will enable the development of novel cancer therapies that promote anti-tumour immunity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Kam studied how a demonstrated neurotoxin influences the progression and neuropathology of familial adult-onset ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. She found that environmental agents contribute to disease onset and progression, resulting in more pronounced disease pathology. Her findings will help us find ways to prevent ALS in individuals at risk. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Timbers used the nematode C. elegans to identify genes critical for short- and long-term memory and showed where in the nervous system this memory is stored. This work adds to our knowledge of the mechanisms that underlie learning and memory. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. McDonough used micro-CT imaging to examine the airways in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. By discovering that the terminal bronchioles are extensively narrowed and reduced in number before the onset of emphysema, this research shows that small airways obstruction precedes emphysematous destruction in this disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Astanehe studied the molecular mechanisms involved in breast cancer pathology and chemotherapy resistance. His studiescontribute to describing breast cancer disease processes. He has also identified novel therapeutic targets to improve outcomes for women with breast cancer pathology with poor prognoses. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |