If you are passionate about health sciences research that makes a difference in people's lives, you're in good hands. We offer award-wining graduate programs led by world-class researchers. You'll have access to top-tier facilities and be working alongside the best and brightest in the field, conducting research that addresses real life problems. Our paradigm-changing approach is collaborative, innovative, and results-driven.
We're tackling diseases like asthma / chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. We're developing better ways to deliver drugs and prevent adverse drug reactions. And we're conducting clinical and economic research in pharmaceutical outcomes.
Our reputation as a top research centre attracts some of the brightest and most productive minds in the field. Our faculty includes Canada Research Chairs, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholars and Senior Scholars, and Distinguished University Scholars.
Purpose
We are innovators in pharmacy education, research and practice, with the goal of supporting the optimization of drug therapy in the pursuit of improved patient outcomes.
Commitments
- We support our people, creating a community that enables excellence through collective action.
- We seek novel ideas, putting into practice those with the greatest scope for sustained impact.
- We search for relevant connections, fostering meaningful collaborations that provide mutual benefit.
Mission
Research Centres
adMare BioInnovations is located in our building. It is an independent, non-profit organization with a focus on bridging the gap between academic discoveries in the health sciences and the development of new medicines to treat human disease. The Faculty partners with adMare BioInnovations to provide unique research and mentoring opportunities for MSc and PhD students.
We are also home to several sophisticated research centres that specialize in the areas of human genome and exome sequencing, and health outcomes research.
Research Facilities
Opened in 2012, the Pharmaceutical Sciences Building at UBC is a state-of-the-art learning and research facility. The building houses modern, modular labs designed specifically for the type of research intended for the space. Our classroom facilities are fitted with advanced technology to facilitate new modes of learning.
Measuring 246,000 square feet, it's an eye-catching addition to our campus, and has drawn attention and admiration from around the world—including 15 awards of excellence.
Research Highlights
As a leading research faculty, we conduct ground-breaking research in the pharmaceutical sciences – all with the goal of addressing the pressing health needs of society and improving lives. Our research activities centre around four areas of focus.
Epidemiology & Health Outcomes
This theme covers our activities in epidemiological analysis, health outcomes and health economics research seeking solutions for the predictive enhancement of intervention strategies for practical and preventive healthcare. The impact of this work is used to shape policy to optimize the allocation of health care resources as well as defining the efficacy of healthcare interventions and strategy.
Molecular & Systems Pharmacology
This highly interdisciplinary theme embodies research directed at the interactions of therapeutic agents with human cells, and covers fundamental questions of the mechanisms of the drug action through to the behaviour of drugs in human systems. These studies are used to inform and optimize the development and delivery of drug intervention regimes for clinical practice and the pharmaceutical industry.
Nanomedicine & Chemical Biology
This theme applies our expertise in the chemical biology of the fabrication and handling of nanoscopic materials to drug discovery and delivery. Sensing and screening technologies are also an important focus.
Pharmacy Education
Our research in this theme addresses the issue of scholarship in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences with a view to augment our educational research capacity and enhance the methodologies of teaching practice, student learning and curriculum decision-making.
Graduate Degree Programs
Research Supervisors in Faculty
| Name | Research Interests |
|---|---|
| Sadatsafavi, Mohsen | Respiratory diseases; Epidemiology (except nutritional and veterinary epidemiology); Epidemiology; Biostatistics; Respiratory Research |
| Schummers, Laura | Pediatrics and reproductive medicine; Health Services; Health Policy; women’s reproductive and perinatal health |
| Soja, Peter | how synaptic transmission through identified ascending spinal sensory pathways and motoneuron pools differs during distinct behavioral states such as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and REM sleep, or general anesthesia vs. wakefulness |
| Turgeon, Ricky | Cardiology and circulatory sciences (including cardiovascular disease); Health care effectiveness and outcomes; Knowledge translation and implementation science in health; Heart failure pharmacotherapy; Acute coronary syndromes / myocardial infarction; Cardiovascular risk reduction (lipid-lowering therapy, antiplatelet therapy); Cardiovascular safety of medications; Drug Effectiveness; Evidence-based practice; Shared decision making; Point-of-care decision aids / decision support tools; Knowledge translation / implementation; Risk calculators / clinical prediction tools; Pharmacist scope of practice |
| Velenosi, Thomas | Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, n.e.c.; Cancer drug development and therapeutics; Cancer molecular targets; Metabolomics; Lipid biology (including lipidomics); Pharmacometabolomics; Pharmacology; Lipidomics; mass spectrometry; Cancer; Stable isotope tracing; Bioinformatics |
| Vu, Ly | Post-transcriptional and translational regulation during normal and malignant hematopoiesis |
| Wilbur, Kerry | Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects); Professional Practices; Education Systems; culture and health professional education; interprofessional education; Interprofessional care; public health roles of pharmacists; workplace-based learning; patient and medication safety |
| Williams, Karla | Cancer progression and metastasis; Intracellular signaling, signal transduction, receptor and membrane biology; Cancer biology; Metastasis; Tumor and plasma biomarkers; Therapeutic target identification and validation; tumor microenvironment |
| Wisnovsky, Simon | Cancer genetics; Tumour immunology; Cellular immunology; Glycomics and glycobiology; Chemical genetics; Systems biology; Cellular interactions (including adhesion, matrix and cell wall); Genomics; Cancer molecular targets; glycobiology; carbohydrates; Tumor immunology; Functional genomics; CRISPR screening; Glycomics; Biochemistry; Molecular Genetics; Cell Biology; Cancer |
| Wong, Judy | Cancer genetics; Mechanisms of carcinogenesis; Drug discovery, design and delivery; Nucleic acids studies; Enzymes (including kinetics and mechanisms, and biocatalyst); Cancer biology; Aging; Genome Instability; Nucleic Acid Structures; Pharmacology; Genetics and Genomics |
| Wong, Harvey | applications of translational modeling and simulation techniques to optimize drug dose and regimen for new therapeutics, and to better understand emergence of cancer tumor drug resistance |
| Zed, Peter | Pharmacotherapy, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, airway pharmacology, sedation and analgesia, evidence-based medicine, adverse drug events, Pharmacotherapy best practice in emergency medicine and patient safety, particularly adverse drug events |
| Zhang, Wei | Public and population health; Health Policies; Pharmacoeconomics; Economic evaluation; Health economics |
Pages
Recent Publications
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
UBC Author(s): Colin Ross (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 01634356
Volume: 47
Page Range: 211-247
Publication Date: 1 April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Mary De Vera (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 19
Publication Date: April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Brent Page (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 17470277
Volume: 105
Publication Date: April 2025
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UBC Author(s): Karla Williams (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 20403364
Volume: 17
Page Range: 8206-8218
Publication Date: 10 March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Anil Maharaj (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 00070912
Volume: 134
Page Range: 681-692
Publication Date: March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Annalijn Conklin (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 01674943
Volume: 130
Publication Date: March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Ricky Turgeon (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 10719164
Volume: 31
Page Range: 603-605
Publication Date: March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Mohsen Sadatsafavi (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 11
Publication Date: March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Annalijn Conklin (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 18714021
Volume: 19
Publication Date: March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Annalijn Conklin (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 17
Publication Date: March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Nicole Krentz (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 264
Publication Date: 1 March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Mohsen Sadatsafavi (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 1073449X
Volume: 211
Page Range: 432-435
Publication Date: 1 March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Mohsen Sadatsafavi (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 20
Publication Date: March 2025
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UBC Author(s): Larry Lynd (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 10983600
Volume: 27
Publication Date: March 2025
View Publication
Pages
Recent Thesis Submissions
Doctoral Citations
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dr. Tan developed a 3D human-based lympho-reticular model and a multi-organ-on-a-chip platform to simulate atopic diseases. She further investigated the therapeutic effects of a novel small molecule drug for treating atopic conditions on this platform. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Moein's work imparts a better understanding of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway response by developing mechanistic models to integrate dynamic relationship between exposure of targeted drugs, modulation of biomarkers triggered by inhibition of pathway, and the estimation of longitudinal response including emergence of tumor resistance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Chao developed immune-boosting lipid nanoparticles to enhance therapy for peritoneal metastasis. His formulations demonstrated improved immune activation, tumor eradication, and long-term anti-tumor immunity. This research offers significant potential for advancing cancer immunotherapy through nanomedicine. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Howren examined the relationship between mental disorders and arthritis and whether people with arthritis receive adequate care for depression or anxiety. Her research demonstrates arthritis has an underlying relationship with depression and anxiety, that mental disorders are substantially undertreated, and that mental health care needs are largely unmet. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Bergamo investigated the use of albumin aggregates as a formulation for the delivery of a fibrinolytic enhancer to the lungs. With this research the potential of using a diagnostic tool such as albumin microparticles for a therapeutic purpose was explored. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Wu's research revolutionizes protein drug delivery, addressing medicine adherence and effectiveness. He developed a needle-free platform using cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), enhancing insulin delivery and blood glucose control. His Nano formulations promise breakthroughs in treating chronic conditions by delivery of monoclonal antibody. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Hohenwarter developed a painkiller derived from an endogenous opioid peptide. He demonstrated the effectiveness of this novel compound in reducing pain and depression, without inducing dangerous opioid-related side effects. This new painkiller may be a safe alternative to opioids for persistent pain treatment and help fight the opioid crisis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Saatchi examined outpatient antibiotic use in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada. Appropriate antibiotic use is integral to mitigate the impacts of antibacterial resistance. This epidemiological research elucidates new targets for antimicrobial stewardship efforts and offers the first interpretations of inter-provincial prescribing quality. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Saxena developed a novel oral delivery system called sorbops that can improve the oral delivery of compounds and biomolecules which would normally get degraded in the gastrointestinal tract. She subsequently tested the efficiency of sorbops in different cell lines and mice using SPECT/CT imaging thereby, showing higher amounts of drug uptake in the target sites. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Bohrmann used click chemistry to generate tumor specific nanoprobes and to evaluate novel radiotracers for pretargeted imaging. His research showcases opportunities and challenges for the further development of aptamer-based imaging probes and may contribute to the further development of technetium-99m labeled radiotracers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |