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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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dr. Peng studied reproductive sciences in UBC's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He examined the importance of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone in maintaining early human pregnancy and placenta growth. His findings help us understand the mechanism of embryo implantation and may benefit women with infertility or other pregnancy-related issues. | Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Stefanowicz studied the effect of the cellular environment on DNA packaging , and how this predisposes people to asthma. Specifically, she looked at how DNA methylation and histone modification affect biological functions such as differentiation. Her research highlights the interaction between epigenetic architecture and disease pathogenesis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Denroche studied the hormone Leptin as a treatment to lower blood sugar in a mouse model of Type 1 diabetes. Her work revealed some of the potential benefits and limitations of Leptin as an alternate or adjunct therapy to insulin for Type 1 diabetes. This research helped to uncover the molecular mechanism behind the anti-diabetic actions of Leptin. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Castellanos studied how differences in the brains of females and males are generated. By studying Drosophila, she found that making a female versus a male brain require distinct sex-specific genetic mechanisms. Her studies unveil unexpected complexity in the genetic mechanisms that generate sex differences in the brain. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Schiariti developed the first international instrument to describe the abilities of children with Cerebral Palsy and the limitations they face every day. She conducted international studies, including children with Cerebral Palsy and world leaders in this field. This important information can guide better treatments for this population worldwide. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Lau investigated the channels in our cells that release calcium, allowing for the contraction of the heart and muscles. He found that a protein binds to them differently depending on where they are found in our bodies, and he created a 3D model of the channels. These findings help to explain how proteins and mutations may cause disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Warner found that, in patients with asthma, the cells that line the airways do not undergo normal repair, leading to the formation of an abnormal barrier. Her work defined several biological mechanisms that might cause this defect. It is hoped that modification of these pathways will help prevent the progression of asthma. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Chan conducted her doctoral research in genetics and molecular biology. She investigated a novel mechanism by which cells respond to environmental factors by modulating the way they interpret genetic information. Her research highlights the role of genetic mutations in the growth of cancer cells. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Fang studied how damaged proteins are eliminated in a cell, and discovered key players in this process. Since the accumulation of damaged proteins is linked to many human disorders like Alzheimer's disease, this research contributes to our scientific insights into potential treatments for Alzheimer's and other related diseases. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2014 | Dr. Tabatabaei studied auto-immune diabetes and showed that changes in an immune factor contribute to disease. She also developed a graft of insulin-producing cells containing an enzyme named IDO for transplantation in type 1 diabetes. These studies open new avenues for protecting insulin-producing cells in diabetes, and following transplantation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |