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If you are passionate about health sciences research that makes a difference in people's lives, you're in good hands. We offer award-wining graduate programs led by world-class researchers. You'll have access to top-tier facilities and be working alongside the best and brightest in the field, conducting research that addresses real life problems. Our paradigm-changing approach is collaborative, innovative, and results-driven.
We're tackling diseases like asthma / chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. We're developing better ways to deliver drugs and prevent adverse drug reactions. And we're conducting clinical and economic research in pharmaceutical outcomes.
Our reputation as a top research centre attracts some of the brightest and most productive minds in the field. Our faculty includes Canada Research Chairs, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholars and Senior Scholars, and Distinguished University Scholars.
Purpose
We are innovators in pharmacy education, research and practice, with the goal of supporting the optimization of drug therapy in the pursuit of improved patient outcomes.
Commitments
- We support our people, creating a community that enables excellence through collective action.
- We seek novel ideas, putting into practice those with the greatest scope for sustained impact.
- We search for relevant connections, fostering meaningful collaborations that provide mutual benefit.
Mission
Research Centres
adMare BioInnovations is located in our building. It is an independent, non-profit organization with a focus on bridging the gap between academic discoveries in the health sciences and the development of new medicines to treat human disease. The Faculty partners with adMare BioInnovations to provide unique research and mentoring opportunities for MSc and PhD students.
We are also home to several sophisticated research centres that specialize in the areas of human genome and exome sequencing, and health outcomes research.
Research Facilities
Opened in 2012, the Pharmaceutical Sciences Building at UBC is a state-of-the-art learning and research facility. The building houses modern, modular labs designed specifically for the type of research intended for the space. Our classroom facilities are fitted with advanced technology to facilitate new modes of learning.
Measuring 246,000 square feet, it's an eye-catching addition to our campus, and has drawn attention and admiration from around the world—including 15 awards of excellence.
Research Highlights
As a leading research faculty, we conduct ground-breaking research in the pharmaceutical sciences – all with the goal of addressing the pressing health needs of society and improving lives. Our research activities centre around four areas of focus.
Epidemiology & Health Outcomes
This theme covers our activities in epidemiological analysis, health outcomes and health economics research seeking solutions for the predictive enhancement of intervention strategies for practical and preventive healthcare. The impact of this work is used to shape policy to optimize the allocation of health care resources as well as defining the efficacy of healthcare interventions and strategy.
Molecular & Systems Pharmacology
This highly interdisciplinary theme embodies research directed at the interactions of therapeutic agents with human cells, and covers fundamental questions of the mechanisms of the drug action through to the behaviour of drugs in human systems. These studies are used to inform and optimize the development and delivery of drug intervention regimes for clinical practice and the pharmaceutical industry.
Nanomedicine & Chemical Biology
This theme applies our expertise in the chemical biology of the fabrication and handling of nanoscopic materials to drug discovery and delivery. Sensing and screening technologies are also an important focus.
Pharmacy Education
Our research in this theme addresses the issue of scholarship in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences with a view to augment our educational research capacity and enhance the methodologies of teaching practice, student learning and curriculum decision-making.
Graduate Degree Programs
Research Supervisors in Faculty
| Name | Research Interests |
|---|---|
| Ross, Colin | Genetic medicine; Genomics; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects); Biomedical Technologies; Drug Metabolism; Gene Therapy; Gene-based therapeutics; Pharmacogenomics; Precision Medicine; Transgenic Model |
| Sadatsafavi, Mohsen | Respiratory diseases; Epidemiology (except nutritional and veterinary epidemiology); Epidemiology; Biostatistics; Respiratory Research |
| Schummers, Laura | Pediatrics and reproductive medicine; Health Services; Health Policy; women’s reproductive and perinatal health |
| Soja, Peter | how synaptic transmission through identified ascending spinal sensory pathways and motoneuron pools differs during distinct behavioral states such as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and REM sleep, or general anesthesia vs. wakefulness |
| Turgeon, Ricky | Cardiology and circulatory sciences (including cardiovascular disease); Health care effectiveness and outcomes; Knowledge translation and implementation science in health; Heart failure pharmacotherapy; Acute coronary syndromes / myocardial infarction; Cardiovascular risk reduction (lipid-lowering therapy, antiplatelet therapy); Cardiovascular safety of medications; Drug Effectiveness; Evidence-based practice; Shared decision making; Point-of-care decision aids / decision support tools; Knowledge translation / implementation; Risk calculators / clinical prediction tools; Pharmacist scope of practice; Clinical assessment / physical examination |
| Velenosi, Thomas | Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, n.e.c.; Cancer drug development and therapeutics; Cancer molecular targets; Metabolomics; Lipid biology (including lipidomics); Pharmacometabolomics; Pharmacology; Lipidomics; mass spectrometry; Cancer; Stable isotope tracing; Bioinformatics |
| Vu, Ly | Post-transcriptional and translational regulation during normal and malignant hematopoiesis |
| Wilbur, Kerry | Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects); Professional Practices; Education Systems; culture and health professional education; interprofessional education; patient and medication safety; public health roles of pharmacists; workplace-based learning |
| Williams, Karla | Oncology |
| Wisnovsky, Simon | Cancer genetics; Tumour immunology; Cellular immunology; Glycomics and glycobiology; Chemical genetics; Systems biology; Cellular interactions (including adhesion, matrix and cell wall); Genomics; Cancer molecular targets; glycobiology; carbohydrates; Tumor immunology; Functional genomics; CRISPR screening; Glycomics; Biochemistry; Molecular Genetics; Cell Biology; Cancer |
| Wong, Judy | Cancer genetics; Mechanisms of carcinogenesis; Drug discovery, design and delivery; Nucleic acids studies; Enzymes (including kinetics and mechanisms, and biocatalyst); Cancer biology; Aging; Genome Instability; Nucleic Acid Structures; Pharmacology; Genetics and Genomics |
| Wong, Harvey | applications of translational modeling and simulation techniques to optimize drug dose and regimen for new therapeutics, and to better understand emergence of cancer tumor drug resistance |
| Zed, Peter | Pharmacotherapy, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, airway pharmacology, sedation and analgesia, evidence-based medicine, adverse drug events, Pharmacotherapy best practice in emergency medicine and patient safety, particularly adverse drug events |
| Zhang, Wei | Public and population health; Health Policies; Pharmacoeconomics; Economic evaluation; Health economics |
Pages
Recent Publications
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
UBC Author(s): Mary De Vera (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 2151464X
Volume: 76
Page Range: 743-752
Publication Date: May 2024
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UBC Author(s): Mohsen Sadatsafavi (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 10811206
Volume: 132
Page Range: 610-622.e7
Publication Date: May 2024
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UBC Author(s): Mohsen Sadatsafavi (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 22132198
Volume: 12
Page Range: 1228-1243
Publication Date: May 2024
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UBC Author(s): Kerry Wilbur (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 18771297
Volume: 16
Page Range: 335-342
Publication Date: May 2024
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UBC Author(s): Larry Lynd (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 10983600
Volume: 26
Publication Date: April 2024
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UBC Author(s): James McCormack (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 10696563
Volume: 31
Page Range: 408-411
Publication Date: April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Shyh-Dar Li (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 01683659
Volume: 368
Page Range: 290-302
Publication Date: April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Ricky Turgeon (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 6
Page Range: 639-648
Publication Date: April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Thomas Velenosi (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 00219738
Volume: 134
Publication Date: 1 April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Mark Harrison (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 2151464X
Volume: 76
Page Range: 444-453
Publication Date: April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Jacquelyn Cragg (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences), Mary De Vera (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 00103853
Volume: 60
Page Range: 515-524
Publication Date: April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Ricky Turgeon (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 19413289
Volume: 17
Page Range: E011445
Publication Date: 1 April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Mark Harrison (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences), Mary De Vera (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 09612033
Volume: 33
Page Range: 462-469
Publication Date: April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Urs Hafeli (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 19
Publication Date: April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Ricky Turgeon (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 70
Page Range: e47-e51
Publication Date: 1 April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Ricky Turgeon (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 0008350X
Volume: 70
Page Range: 245-248
Publication Date: 1 April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Mohsen Sadatsafavi (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 22132198
Volume: 12
Page Range: 970-982
Publication Date: April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Simon Wisnovsky (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 10870156
Volume: 42
Page Range: 597-607
Publication Date: April 2024
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UBC Author(s): Mary De Vera (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 31
Page Range: 1689-1700
Publication Date: 22 March 2024
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UBC Author(s): James McCormack (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Volume: 384
Page Range: e076774
Publication Date: 18 March 2024
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UBC Author(s): Brent Page (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences), Adam Frankel (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
ISSN: 14394227
Volume: 25
Publication Date: 15 March 2024
View Publication
Pages
Recent Thesis Submissions
Doctoral Citations
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dr. Lin built a mathematical model describing the unique oral absorption of an anti-cancer drug in order to understand the responsible mechanisms. This model can inform drug research and development by predicting oral absorption of new drug candidates and determine dose and regimen of drugs showing similar absorption characteristics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Esposito used nuclear imaging techniques to study the pharmacokinetics of native and nano-formulated cationic host defense peptides (CHDPs), naturally occurring compounds that direct kill bacteria and bolster the immune system to better fight infections. Important insights were gained in this work that are expected to help advance the development of CHDPs and their formulations toward clinical use. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Javed has developed breast cancer models to target primary and metastatic tumors at distant sites. She also explored the role of finger like projections-invadopodia in helping tumor cells movement through the lymphatic system. The findings from these studies will be helpful in providing an in-depth insight into targeting tumor metastasis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Khatri examined the health and economic impact of introduction of 13-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in infant immunization program in British Columbia, Canada. This research illuminates the value of PCV13 vaccine in preventing pneumococcal disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Price investigated the processes of inflammation, antioxidant defense, and steroidogenesis within the placenta. These studies assist us in understanding the higher rates of pregnancy complications associated with assisted reproduction technologies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Al Fayez worked on improving the effectiveness of currently available liver treatments. Her research focused on developing novel lipid-based nanoparticles for hepatocytes targeting. Dr. ALFayez believes these nanoparticles can be used as a platform to enhance the treatment of many terminal liver diseases including chronic hepatitis B infection. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Nguyen developed a method to make chemical modifications to drugs that enable formation into nanoparticles for improved drug delivery and efficacy. This research will benefit a spectrum of drugs and identify new formulations that will offer safer and effective therapies for patients battling diseases like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Benbow developed a pre-clinical model of migraine headache using monosodium glutamate (MSG). He subsequently applied his model to identify and validate a novel drug target that may be leveraged to treat and prevent migraines in people. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Salmasi measured medication taking in atrial fibrillation patients in BC. She revealed that patients exhibit distinct patterns of medication taking over time. Study findings can inform the design of interventions to improve medication taking, and ultimately avoid preventable strokes and deaths in patients with atrial fibrillation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Nosrati developed a novel drug delivery system that targets and treats rheumatoid arthritis. Her work resulted in concentrating toxic drugs in inflamed joints more effectively with less side effects, reducing inflammation more strongly and for longer periods of time. Patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis will benefit from her findings. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |