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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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dr. Leung identified a gene that can be targeted to improve the effectiveness of multiple standard chemotherapeutics in lung cancer cells without affecting normal lung cells. Targeting this protein in combination with existing drugs should enhance treatment outcomes in cancer patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Infants who are born to HIV positive women but remain HIV uninfected, are among the world's most vulnerable to infectious disease. Dr. Reikie discovered a number of transient anomalies of these infants' immune system. His findings have been used to help uncover causes of increased suffering from disease in this already vulnerable population. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Amouroux studied and developed cancer targeting agents mimicking kinins, in order to be used for non-invasive imaging in patients using Positron Emission Tomography. He successfully established the most favorable features for this purpose, which carries great promises for cancer diagnostic and therapy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Liao examined novel approaches for tuberculosis vaccines and treatments, including methods to improve the current BCG vaccine and also identification of a mycobacterial protein as a potential new drug target. Her research contributes valuable knowledge to the field of TB research and paves the way for better TB control strategies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Cells respond to signals, such as growth factors, by turning genes on or off. If gene regulation is disrupted, cancers may arise. Dr. Grants found that a regulatory protein, CDK-8, is a brake on gene activation by epidermal growth factor (or EGF) signaling, in the model organism C. elegans. This work suggests that CDK-8 may halt EGF-driven cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Older adults who use a wheelchair often experience restricted participation. Dr. Giesbrecht developed and evaluated a computer tablet-based, home training program monitored on-line by a therapist. This innovative approach to treatment could change how we provide rehabilitation for a growing number of older adults with mobility challenges. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Le Vasseur studied a group of channels that facilitate the movement of particles through the membranes and allow cells to communicate with each other. His work discovered that one channel remains inside the cell at point of contact with mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cells, where it controls the stimulation of programmed cell death. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Fortelny examined and modeled interactions of proteases, a class of key cell enzymes underpinning biology and pathology. He developed computational models and databases that identify protease pathways and their targets in health and disease. His analyses revealed the unexpected pervasiveness and importance of protease interactions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Morimoto studied a rare, genetic childhood disease called Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia that affects the skeletal, renal, immune, and vascular systems. She identified key gene expression changes that likely underlie several clinical features of the disease. Her findings provide insight into the molecular pathogenesis of this fatal disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2016 | Currently one in 12 people have asthma and that number continues to grow. Dr. Singh developed a blood-based biomarker signature, that can predict the allergen-induced late phase asthmatic response. These blood tests may improve risk stratification of allergic asthmatic individuals for clinical trials, and provide new targets for therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |