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.
| Name | Academic Unit(s) | Research Interests |
|---|---|---|
| Davis, Noelle | Department of Surgery | cancer surgery and surgical oncology, Surgical oncology, Head and neck cancer |
| de Boer, Carl | School of Biomedical Engineering | Gene regulation |
| Dedhar, Shoukat | Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | molecular biology, molecular biology as it relates to disease; developing new theraputics for cancer; how brain cells (neurons)make connections, therapeutics for cancer; molecular genetics and cancer; medical research, cancer, inflammatory diseases, cariovascular diseases, Cellular proteins, extracellular martrix, integrins, signal transduction, calreticulin, protein kinase, gene expression, cell differentiation |
| Deering, Kathleen | Division of Social Medicine | Medical, health and life sciences |
| Dell, Sharon | Department of Pediatrics | Asthma in Children; Bronchial Disorders; Children's Health; Interstitial Lung Diseases; Rare diseases; Primary ciliary dyskinesia |
| Dennis, Brittany | Division of Social Medicine | Substance use, Harm reduction |
| Dennis, Jessica | Department of Medical Genetics | Bioinformatics; Genetic medicine; Administrative health data; Complex Trait Genetics; Electronic health records; Epidemiology; genetic epidemiology; Genetics of Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases; Machine Learning; Mental Health and Psychopathology in Children and Youth; Precision Health; statistical genetics |
| Devlin, Angela | Department of Pediatrics | Human nutrition and dietetics; Human reproduction and development sciences; Pathology (except oral pathology); cardiovascular disease; Children; developmental programming; Diabetes; Obesity |
| Diamond, Adele | Department of Psychiatry | executive functions; prefrontal cortex; dopamine; working memory; self-control; self-regulation; cognition; COMT gene; Sex differences; stress; ACEs (adverse childhood experiences); ELS (early life stress); resilience; social determinants of health; ADHD; depression; PTSD; Physical Activity; the arts; mindfulness |
| Doan, Quynh | Department of Pediatrics | Medical, health and life sciences; Health Services; Child and youth mental health; Emergency medicine work load modelling |
| Dong, Xuesen | Department of Urologic Sciences | Cancer progression and metastasis; Gene and molecular therapy; Prostate Cancer; RNA splicing and Gene Regulation; Drug development; Hormone Dependent Cancers; Endocrine Regulation; Premature Labour |
| Dormuth, Colin | Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics | Clinical Outcomes and Patient Safety |
| Drew, Yvette | Division of Medical Oncology | |
| Duan, Kevin | Division of Respiratory Medicine | |
| Dummer, Trevor | School of Population and Public Health | health geography, cancer prevention, environmental exposures, health inequalities, geographic information science, obesity, risk factors, Environmental epidemiology and environment and health interactions, with specific emphasis on cancer etiology and cancer prevention |
| Duong, Franck | Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Applied immunology (including antibody engineering, xenotransplantation and t-cell therapies); Medical molecular engineering of nucleic acids and proteins |
| Dutz, Jan Peter | Department of Dermatology & Skin Science | Immunity in Health & Disease, diabetes, dermatology |
| Dvorak, Marcel F S | Department of Orthopaedics | adult spine surgery; major adult deformity (scoliosis and kyphosis), traumatic injuries of the spine, and spinal cord injury. |
| Elango, Rajavel | Department of Pediatrics, School of Population and Public Health | Protein Nutrition, Maternal-Fetal Nutrition, Childhood Malnutrition, Amino Acid Metabolism, Human Nutrition |
| Elliott, Alison | Department of Medical Genetics | Other health sciences; rare disease; genomics; Congenital Malformations; Skeletal and limb anomalies; Genetic Counselling; Health services implementation science |
| Eng, Janice | Department of Physical Therapy | Medical, health and life sciences; Stroke Rehabilitation; Motor function; Wearable sensors; Recovery of walking after stroke; Recovery of upper extremity function after stroke |
| Etminan, Mahyar | Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences | Eye and Visual System Diseases; Pharmacoepidemiology; Epidemiology; Oular Epidemiology; Drug Safety; Epidemiologist Study Design; Causal Inference; Cancer Epidemiology |
| Eva, Kevin | Division of General Internal Medicine | Cognition; Adult Education and Continuing Education; Health Professions Education; Assessment and Selection; clinical reasoning; Implementation Science; Continuing Professional Development; Judgment and Decision-Making |
| Evgin, Laura | Department of Medical Genetics | |
| Fairbairn, Nadia | Division of Social Medicine | Drug Abuse |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dr. Nguyen studied the molecular machines responsible for the transcription of RNA using cutting-edge techniques like super resolution microscopy and next-generation sequencing. His work not only unraveled novel perspectives of transcription mechanisms, but also challenged previous paradigms to provide a better understanding of gene regulation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Kumar studied the mechanisms underlying protein quality control in cells exposed to DNA damage. His work focused on post-translational modifications and their role in regulating the dynamics of protein sequestration. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Bell investigated the role of the surface glycoprotein, podocalyxin, in breast and pancreatic cancer and showed that the molecule's sugar-rich, extracellular domain contributes to tumour cell collective invasion. This work provides insight into mechanisms of early metastasis and highlights the potential of podocalyxin-targeted therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Randall explored long-term patient satisfaction with total knee replacement. She found that 12% of participants were dissatisfied, particularly those with ongoing symptoms and unmet expectations. The main concern for patients was how well their new knee supported their daily lives. These findings have both clinical and research implications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Li conducted research on the association between TNF inhibitors and multiple sclerosis in four Canadian provinces. An increased risk of multiple sclerosis was found in users of TNF inhibitors. This finding is vital for healthcare practitioners to weigh the benefits and risks of TNF inhibitors, ultimately guiding safer medical decisions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2024 | Around the world people breathe in polluted air that irritates their lungs and causes inflammation. Dr. Huff's research demonstrated that current anti-inflammatory asthma medications increase common cold infections in human lung cells exposed to pollution, and identified three new medicines that reduce air pollution induced inflammation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Hrelja examined how decision-making was bidirectionally influenced by self-administered drugs of abuse in rodent models. This preclinical research illuminates considerations and refinements that can be made to the treatment of addiction. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Tophkhane studied the functional effects of mutations in WNT pathway genes associated with Robinow syndrome using the chicken embryo model. She found that the mutant proteins disturb development of the facial skeleton and cell signaling. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Orach investigated the dose-response to controlled air pollution exposure in a clinical trial. He identified blood proteins, breath measurements and symptoms that are closely related to diesel exhaust levels. This research facilitates health monitoring and improves our ability to assess and mitigate the harmful impacts of air pollution. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2024 | Dr. Fournier uncovered a new role for ARID1A, a gene lost in about 7% of all cancers, in the maintenance of genome integrity. Using CRISPR screening, he also identified vulnerabilities of cancer cells that lose ARID1A. This work expands our understanding of how these tumours develop and provides potential new avenues for treatment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
