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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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Dr. Du investigated treatments for osteoporosis, osteosclerosis, and cardiovascular and lung diseases. He showed how collagen and elastin are broken down by the proteins Cathepsins K and V. The significance of Dr. Du's work is that he identified alternative methods to reduce or eliminate the side-effects of classic treatments, for the benefit of patients. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Baradaran-Heravi conducted research in medical genetics. He discovered the underlying molecular mechanism for a fatal, multisystem childhood genetic disorder called "Schimke immuno-osseous dysplasia".Patients, clinicians and basic scientists will benefit from the findings of this research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Genetics (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Thain identified functional variations in two genes that affect the mortality of patients with septic shock. This furthers the development of personalized treatment options. One of the genes was previously unknown to impact the outcome of severe infections and now has the potential to be developed as a much needed treatment in intensive care units. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Whitehead evaluated a new class of painkillers. These peripheral analgesic drugs block pain at the site of origin, and do not cause patients to become sedated. . This new analgesic class is expected to have tremendous benefit for treatment of arthritis and neuropathic pain. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Sakakibara studied the confidence, mobility, and participation in daily and social activities of adult wheelchair users. His findings demonstrate that confidence with wheelchair use has important implications for mobility and participation. His work provides a foundation for developing strategies to enhance confidence for those using wheelchairs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Sham showed that the cells that line the intestines produce a protein that dampens inflammation, to maintain a healthy relationship with our gut microbiota, or bacteria. Without this protein, gut cells can attack our micro-biota, leaving us open to infection. His research identifies a key role for our micro-biota in protecting us from disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Schrader investigated the association between germline mutations in CDH1 and familial lobular breast cancer. She showed the utility of new sequencing technologies to identify disease susceptibility genes. Her work has implications for identification of novel cancer susceptibility genes which will benefit people at high-risk for familial cancers. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Casey engaged ten people living with schizophrenia to understand their "experience of meaning in activity". After two years of research, she concluded that participating in meaningful activity is influenced by notions of social inclusion and justice, that experiences are varied and ultimately connected to meaning in life, well-being and recovery. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Choi conducted research in the field of biochemistry, with a focus on molecular biology and genetics. Her project focused on molecular mechanisms that affect the regulation of genes during cellular growth and differentiation. Her research adds to our understanding of how cellular functions can be misregulated, causing diseases such as cancer. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |
| 2013 | Dr. Ruzzini showed how an important chemical reaction occurs in bacteria that degrade pollutants and cause disease. His findings have broader implications for the development of new bioremediation strategies and the rational design of therapeutics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD) |