Canadian Immigration Updates

Review details about the recently announced changes to study and work permits that apply to master’s and doctoral degree students. Read more

Every day across British Columbia, trainees and researchers at the ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Faculty of Medicine are turning skills into jobs, investments into discoveries, and discoveries into solutions that are transforming health for everyone.

Ranked among the world’s top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà 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 ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà 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 ÑÇÖÞÌìÌÃ. 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.

Mission
To transform health for everyone.
Ìý
  • 1348
    Master's Students
  • 634
    Doctoral Students
  • 479
    Graduate Degrees Awarded
  • 548
    Full-Time Faculty
  • 477.9
    million in Research Awards

Research Centres

Most Faculty research is conducted under the auspices of that are part of ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà or affiliated with it, in collaboration with our health partners.

Centres &ÌýInstitutes
  • Institute of Mental Health
Research Groups
  • OVCARE (BC’s Ovarian Cancer Research Team)

Research Facilities

ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà 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 .

The Life Sciences Centre is the largest building on the ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Vancouver campus. Completed in 2004, the $125 million, 52,165 sq metres building was built to accommodate the distributed medical educational program and the .

The (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 ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Hospital Koerner Pavilion. Our core facilities are essential to ongoing collaboration, teaching, and research.

The Ìýis 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.

Research Highlights

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 ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà 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 ; ; ; ; ; and .

Graduate Degree Programs

Research Supervisors in Faculty

or browse the list of faculty members in various academic units. You may click each unit to view faculty members appointed in that unit. View the full faculty member directory for more search and filter options.
Name Academic Unit(s) Research Interests
Fairbairn, Nadia Division of Social Medicine Drug Abuse
Fast, Danya Division of Social Medicine Social sciences; Substance Use; Substance Use Care; Adolescents and Young Adults; urban health; Urban Poverty; Medical Anthropology; Canada; East Africa
Fedida, David Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics How the heart generates, maintains and regulates electrical activity, Anesthesiology
Field, Thalia Division of Neurology stroke; Clinical trials; cerebral venous thrombosis; outcomes; cognition; Machine Learning
Fisher, Charles Department of Orthopaedics adult spine surgery, with special clinical and research interests in trauma, oncology and evidence-based medicine
Flannigan, Ryan Department of Urologic Sciences evaluating genetic and molecular mechanisms contributing to non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA)
Fleetham, John Division of Respiratory Medicine Sleep disorders, neuromuscular disorders, obstructive sleep apnea, imaging techniques, respiratory muscle function, systemic blood pressure, hypothalamic pituitary function, psychological status, disordered breathing
Forbes, Connor Department of Urologic Sciences Urology; Other basic medicine and life sciences; Drug discovery, design and delivery; Endourology; Minimally Invasive Surgery; Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia; Kidney stones; Translational research
Forster, Bruce Department of Radiology Radiology; imaging
Forwell, Susan Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Neurological conditions and their impact on chosen occupations
Foster, Leonard Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michael Smith Laboratories Biochemistry; Genomics; Agriculture; antigen presentation; Bioinformatics; Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; Biotechnology; Cell Signaling and Infectious and Immune Diseases; Honey bees; host-pathogen interactions; Immune System; Microbiology; Proteomics; Systems Biology
Francis, Gordon Division of Endocrinology lipoproteins; Cholesterol metabolism; Cardiovascular risk factors; Prevention of cardiovascular disease and diabetes; High density lipoproteins (HDL)
Frangou, Sophia Department of Psychiatry the study of the human brain in health and disease
Frank, Erica School of Population and Public Health Health sciences; Public and population health; Other education; Free education; Preventive Medicine; Sustainable Architecture and Landscape Architecture; Holocaust studies; Exile Reintegration; Democratization; Intervention Research
Freeman, Hugh James Division of Gastroenterology Intestinal Diseases
Friedman, Jan Marshall Department of Medical Genetics Other clinical medicine; Genetic medicine; Genomics; Health counselling; Application of whole genome sequencing to diagnose genetic disease; Birth defects epidemiology; Clinical genomics; Developmental Genetics; Genetics and Heredity; Neurofibromatosis
Gadermann, Anne Social determinants of health; Housing and homelessness; Quality of
Gao, Zu-Hua Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Garbuz, Donald Department of Orthopaedics reconstructive surgery of the hip and knee; novel imaging techniques to assess early changes in articular cartilage, which may be indicators for osteoarthritis
Garnis, Catherine Department of Surgery Cancer biology; Tumor progression; Oral premalignant lesions; Head and neck cancer; RNA biology, microRNAs; Alternative splicing; Biomarkers
Geller, Josie Department of Psychiatry Eating Disorders
Geoffrion, Roxana Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology patient education, surgical outcomes after various pelvic reconstructive surgeries and surgical skill development through simulation and standardized training; pelvic floor reconstruction procedures such as vaginal prolapse or urinary incontinence surgery
Gerrie, Alina Division of Medical Oncology Clinical medicine; Lymphoid Cancer; Leukemia; genomics; Population-based outcomes; Cellular therapy; Quality of life; Survivorship
Giaschi, Deborah Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Neurosciences, medical and physiological and health aspects; Neurosciences, biological and chemical aspects; amblyopia; reading; dyslexia; motion perception; binocular vision; visual development
Gibson, William Department of Medical Genetics Genetic medicine; Genetic Diseases; Chromosomes: Structure / Organization; Epigenetics

Pages

Graduate Student Stories

Recent Publications

This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Medicine.

Ìý

Publication: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Stuart Turvey (Pediatrics / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 122
Page Range: e2501030122
Publication Date: 15 July 2025

Publication: Spine
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Marcel F S Dvorak (Orthopaedics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 03622436
Volume: 50
Page Range: 956-964
Publication Date: 15 July 2025

Publication: Cancer Cell
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): David Scott (Division of Medical Oncology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 15356108
Volume: 43
Page Range: 1347-1364.e13
Publication Date: 14 July 2025

Publication: Vaccine
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Monika Naus (School of Population and Public Health / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 0264410X
Volume: 60
Publication Date: 11 July 2025

Publication: Nature
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Peter Lansdorp (Medical Genetics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00280836
Volume: 643
Page Range: 427-436
Publication Date: 10 July 2025

Publication: Jacc Case Reports
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Liam Brunham (Division of General Internal Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 30
Publication Date: 9 July 2025

Publication: Journal of Experimental Medicine
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Kelly Marshall McNagny (School of Biomedical Engineering / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 222
Publication Date: 7 July 2025

Publication: BMJ Open
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Susan Samuel (Pediatrics / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 15
Publication Date: 7 July 2025

Publication: Lancet
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Lucia Nappi (Urologic Sciences / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 01406736
Volume: 406
Page Range: 76-90
Publication Date: 5 July 2025

Publication: Human Molecular Genetics
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Stephen C Lam (Division of Respiratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 34
Page Range: 1227-1237
Publication Date: 3 July 2025

Publication: Blood
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Aly Karsan (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00064971
Volume: 146
Page Range: 9-11
Publication Date: 3 July 2025

Publication: New England Journal of Medicine
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Kristin Campbell (Physical Therapy / Faculty of Medicine), Sharlene Gill (Division of Medical Oncology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00284793
Volume: 393
Page Range: 13-25
Publication Date: 3 July 2025

Publication: Molecular Cancer Therapeutics
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Yuzhuo Wang (Urologic Sciences / Faculty of Medicine)
Volume: 24
Page Range: 1030-1039
Publication Date: 2 July 2025

Publication: International Journal of Drug Policy
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Thomas Kerr (Division of Social Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 09553959
Volume: 141
Publication Date: July 2025

Publication: Medical Image Analysis
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Teresa Tsang (Divisions of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 13618415
Volume: 103
Publication Date: July 2025

Publication: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Helen Tremlett (Division of Neurology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 08954356
Volume: 183
Publication Date: July 2025

Publication: Bulletin of Mathematical Biology
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Kathryn Isaac (Surgery / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00928240
Volume: 87
Publication Date: July 2025

Publication: Nutrition Reviews
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Rachel Murphy (School of Population and Public Health / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00296643
Volume: 83
Page Range: e1660-e1676
Publication Date: 1 July 2025

Publication: Jacc Cardiovascular Imaging
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Jonathon Leipsic (Radiology / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 1936878X
Volume: 18
Page Range: 784-795
Publication Date: July 2025

Publication: Journal of Biomechanics
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): John Street (Orthopaedics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00219290
Volume: 188
Publication Date: July 2025

Publication: Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): David Wilson (Orthopaedics / Faculty of Medicine), Kishore Mulpuri (Orthopaedics / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 02716798
Volume: 45
Page Range: e553-e559
Publication Date: 1 July 2025

Publication: Journal of Pathology
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Brad Nelson (Medical Genetics / Faculty of Medicine), Amy Jamieson (Obstetrics & Gynaecology / Faculty of Medicine), Jessica McAlpine (Obstetrics & Gynaecology / Faculty of Medicine), David Huntsman (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00223417
Volume: 266
Page Range: 292-305
Publication Date: July 2025

Publication: Leukemia
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Aly Karsan (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 08876924
Volume: 39
Page Range: 1702-1713
Publication Date: July 2025

Publication: Drug and Alcohol Review
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Lianping Ti (Division of Social Medicine / Faculty of Medicine), Maria Socias (Division of Social Medicine / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 09595236
Volume: 44
Page Range: 1365-1373
Publication Date: July 2025

Publication: Journal of Safety Research
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Author(s): Peter Cripton (School of Biomedical Engineering / Faculty of Medicine)
ISSN: 00224375
Volume: 93
Page Range: 15-23
Publication Date: July 2025

Pages

Recent Thesis Submissions

  • (MEDX - PHD)
  • (MDP9 - MDPHD)
  • (NRSC - PHD)
  • (NRSC - PHD)
  • (NRSC - PHD)
  • (MEDG - PHD)
  • (SPPH - MSC)
  • (MEDX - PHD)
  • (BIMB - PHD)
  • (BIMB - PHD)
  • (MEDG - MSC)
  • (MDP9 - MDPHD)
  • (MEDX - MSC)
  • (MEDG - MSC)
  • (MEDX - MSC)
  • (RPDS - PHD)
  • (MEDX - MSC)
  • (MEDX - MSC)
  • (MEDX - MSC)
  • (NRSC - PHD)
  • (NRSC - PHD)
  • (ONCO - PHD)
  • (SPPH - PHD)
  • (PALM - MSC)
  • (CELL - PHD)
  • (SPPH - MSC)
  • (SPPH - PHD)
  • (CELL - MSC)
  • (MEDX - PHD)
  • (CELL - PHD)

Doctoral Citations

A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
Year Citation Program
2024 Dr. Rafizadeh's work investigated the comparative effectiveness of clozapine versus other antipsychotics in improving outcomes related to non-nicotine substance use disorders, which commonly co-occurs with schizophrenia. It also explored factors influencing clozapine metabolism to tailor dosing for individuals and mitigate potential side effects. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2024 Dr. Banville studied B cells in the context of the immune response to ovarian cancer. She defined tumour-associated B cell reactivity patterns and discovered novel target antigens. Her findings suggest multi-faceted roles for B cells in anti-tumour immunity which will ultimately guide the development of more effective cancer immunotherapies. Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD)
2024 Dr. Gemmell studied how urban environments impact children’s health and human rights, including the right to play. She developed and mapped a playability index across Canadian cities, identifying disparities in neighbourhood quality for children’s outdoor play. Her research advances assessment of urban environments for child health and well-being. Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD)
2024 Dr. Usman studied how the lungs repair after injury, both in healthy people and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). She found that the inflammatory mediator, interleukin-1 alpha is vital in preventing scaring, and that targeting specific master regulators of this mediator could lead to new treatments for COPD. Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology (PhD)
2024 Dr. Merry studied how and why exercise therapies are used to manage chronic Achilles tendon injuries. He applied this knowledge to develop a new tele-rehabilitation system to improve treatment, which is now in pilot testing with patients. Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD)
2024 Dr. Bahreyni investigated the use of microRNA-modified Coxsackievirus B3 (miR-CVB3) in breast cancer treatment. His research explored how combining miR-CVB3 with immune-enhancers and advanced delivery methods might offer improvements in therapy. Dr. Bahreyni's work provides useful insights into potential strategies for enhancing cancer treatment. Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD)
2024 Dr. Rubino investigated human behaviour and brain function in the acquisition and performance of skilled actions using eye-tracking, interactive robotics and brain imaging. Her work reveals that the oculomotor system plays a role in both developing motor skills and performing motor tasks after stroke. Her work offers a new avenue into discovery for stroke neurorehabilitation. Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD)
2024 Dr. Vikulova studied risk factors and barriers to preventing early-onset heart disease. She found that many young adults are unaware of their high risk and do not get preventive treatment and that screening first-degree relatives of patients with early-onset heart disease may help identify those at high risk and those with silent plaques in heart blood vessels to initiate preventive therapy timely. Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD)
2024 Auditory Brainstem Response audiometry is the typical method for estimating hearing thresholds in infants. New stimuli called narrowband chirps (NBchirps) may elicit larger responses than traditional stimuli. However, Dr. Adjekum's research indicates that NBchirps have a wider spectral content, leading to responses from broader cochlear regions, wh Doctor of Philosophy in Audiology and Speech Sciences (PhD)
2024 Dr. Kenward characterized crucial viral proteins and mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2, revealing core features of its cysteine protease and identifying potential antiviral targets. This work advances our understanding of the virus's lifecycle and aids in the development of resilient therapeutics against COVID-19 and future viral threats. Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PhD)

Pages

Interesting Links

Ìý