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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. Smendziuk studied stem cell regulation in the fruit fly testis. He identified the gap junction proteins that help the soma and germline communicate with each other during sperm development and characterized their roles in the stem cell niche. These studies assist us in understanding how stem cell behaviour is controlled in all animals. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Poormasjedi-Meibod completed her doctoral studies in the field of drug delivery and wound healing. She developed a new generation of wound dressings with anti-scarring properties. The findings of her study will improve the wound healing outcome and the quality of life in millions of burn survivors. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Glier investigated the role of methyl metabolism in obesity-related heart disease. She discovered that disturbances in methyl metabolism contribute to obesity-related changes in cardiac energy metabolism and function. Her research provides insight into molecular mechanisms linking obesity and the development of heart disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Chenery studied the effects of parasitic worm infections and vitamin A metabolism on mucosal inflammation. He found protective roles for these factors in controlling asthma and inflammatory bowel disease. These findings may support the new generation of therapeutics to treat these inflammatory diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Mang demonstrated that performing a single bout of high-intensity aerobic exercise prior to practice of a novel movement skill, can enhance the learning of that skill. He examined the underlying neural substrates of these effects, the aspects of motor learning impacted, and the influence of genetic and epigenetic variation on the exercise response. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Tennant examined the role of a specific protein called Myt3 in the context of pancreas development and diabetes. His work identified this protein as a novel regulator of cell survival in the cells responsible for controlling blood glucose. His research points to Myt3 as a potential therapeutic target for improving the lives of diabetic patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Wainwright studied the hormonal and cellular underpinnings of depression. He demonstrated that altering the production and the interactions of neurons in the brain changes the likelihood to develop depression and the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs. These findings provide insights into the pathology and treatment of depression. | Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Huisman's research focused on tendon degeneration. Specifically she examined the role of the protein MMP2 in response to tendons being mechanically stimulated and demonstrated that MMP2 plays a key role in the degenerative effects of tendons. This knowledge will aid in our understanding of tendon degeneration and in the treatment for tendon health. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Garside examined the role of the transcription factor SOX9 during mouse embryonic heart valve development using a number of genomic approaches. Through her analyses of genome-wide datasets on embryonic valves, she discovered that SOX9 plays a key role in regulating a critical network of transcription factors essential for heart valve formation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2016 | Dr. Tam investigated why women may be more susceptible to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. His research findings indicate that female sex hormones are associated with increased airway tissue scarring and decreased antioxidant response to cigarette smoke. This work highlights several targets that may advance current drug treatment efficacy. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |