Review details about the recently announced changes to study and work permits that apply to master’s and doctoral degree students. Read more
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Dr. Tortora focused on PPAR-gamma, a protein involved in the biology of bladder cancer. Through gene editing technology, Dr. Tortora identified molecules regulating PPAR-gamma expression and clarified its effects in tumor development, thus potentially opening new possibilities for bladder cancer treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Prescott studied how people with disabilities navigate their communities. He found barriers in the pedestrian environment that negatively affected their ability to get around, which made it challenging to reach destinations. His research identifies policy and practice changes needed to improve their access to outdoor urban spaces. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. D'Costa demonstrated that some kidney cancer patients can be treated with a drug used in brain tumor therapy for improved response. She also developed a way to group patients and guide the practice of personalized medicine in clinics. Her research may help improve survival and therapy outcomes in kidney cancer patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Coulombe studied endothelial cell signaling in the development of the lung and blood system. His research demonstrated the participation of various cell types and identified pivotal factors in the formation of these organs. His work furthers our understanding of developmental processes, providing insights for therapies and regenerative medicine. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Lu studied the genetic and molecular causes underlying a group of immune disorders called the CBM-opathies. His research improves our understanding of these diseases and informs the diagnosis and treatment of future related patients. Throughout his PhD, he helped genetically diagnose 11 children, which transformed their management and care. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Wong studied the molecular interactions involved in the function of CIC, a gene important for suppressing cancer development and progression. He discovered a mechanism that cancers utilize to destabilize CIC, findings of which have implications for drug development and improving treatment options for patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Zhang studied how cancer cells resist treatment in ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest cancers. He showed that although the immune system helps keep this cancer at bay, some cancer cells evade immune cells and cause patient relapse. His research highlights current challenges for immune-based therapies for this cancer and how to overcome them. | Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MDPhD) |
| 2021 | People with multiple sclerosis can experience cognitive impairment that severely impacts their lives. Dr. Abel's work showed that multiple sclerosis-related cognitive impairment involves the damage of myelin, a protective coating on nerve fibers in the brain. These findings will help test new myelin therapies for this disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Harbeson identified a series of pathways that appear to dictate survival in neonatal sepsis, a condition wherein the blood of newborn babies becomes infected. Using these findings, he developed a new treatment for neonatal sepsis that is extremely effective in mice and represents a promising new therapeutic moving forward. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Sweeney Magee researched health behaviours associated with risk and survivorship in colorectal cancer. She identified population groups needing support to make changes to these behaviours, and strategies to best provide this support. Her work will inform future behaviour change intervention design at all stages of the cancer control continuum. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |