ubc faculty of medicine

Office of the Executive Associate Dean, Research

2012-2013ANNUAL REPORT

1TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of ContentsMessage from the Executive Associate Dean, Research ...................................................................................................................... 2

Research Excellence by the Numbers ...................................................................................................................................................... 5

Overview .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

External Comparators to UBC Faculty of Medicine ........................................................................................................................ 5

Faculty of Medicine within UBC Scope of Research ....................................................................................................................... 7

Distribution of Research within the Faculty of Medicine ............................................................................................................... 8

Building Our Research Community .......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Canada Research Chairs ....................................................................................................................................................................... 11

CIHR Applied Chairs .............................................................................................................................................................................. 11

Donor-Funded Chairs and Professorships ....................................................................................................................................... 14

Fostering Research Innovation ..................................................................................................................................................................21

Canada Foundation for Innovation .....................................................................................................................................................21

Genome Canada/CIHR 2012 Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition in Genomics and Personalized Health ........................................................................................................................................................................................................22

Grant Funding Highlights .....................................................................................................................................................................23

Faculty of Medicine Internal Awards ................................................................................................................................................24

Recognizing Research Excellence ............................................................................................................................................................27

Highlights .................................................................................................................................................................................................27

National Prizes Awarded by the Faculty of Medicine ...................................................................................................................29

Training the Next Generation of Researchers ....................................................................................................................................... 33

Undergraduate Programs .....................................................................................................................................................................33

Summer Student Research Program .................................................................................................................................................35

Graduate, Postgraduate, and Postdoctoral Programs ...................................................................................................................37

Building UBC’s Global Partnerships ........................................................................................................................................................43

Research Impact ..........................................................................................................................................................................................47

Cancer .......................................................................................................................................................................................................47

Neuroscience & Mental Health ......................................................................................................................................................... 50

Heart & Lung Health .............................................................................................................................................................................52

Research Opportunities Update ..............................................................................................................................................................57

BC Clinical Research Infrastructure Network .................................................................................................................................57

SPOR (Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research) ............................................................................................................................58

Health Research BC ...............................................................................................................................................................................58

Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................................................................59

Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................................................................................59

Appendices ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 60

Appendix A – Overview of UBC Faculty of Medicine Research Centre Reviews .................................................................. 60

Appendix B – UBC Faculty of Medicine Research Committees .................................................................................................62

Appendix C – UBC Faculty of Medicine Graduate Program Students ......................................................................................66

Appendix D – UBC Faculty of Medicine International Agreements ........................................................................................ 68

Cover photos (L-R): Prostate cancer cells | Credit: lab of Yuzhuo Wang, Associate Professor in the Department of Urologic

Sciences; Heart and lung artwork | Credit: Cyrus McEachern MD ‘12; Brain scan | Credit: UBC MRI Research Centre

2 2012-2013 RESEARCH ANNUAL REPORT | UBC FACULTY OF MEDICINE

Message from the Executive Associate Dean, Research

As I reflect on the Faculty of Medicine’s research activities over the past year, I am struck by how much the landscape is changing in health research in Canada, where there is increasing emphasis and opportunity for team grants, team science, and integrated collaborative research stretching from lab to community, with a desired impact on health outcomes.

Resources of the Office of the Executive Associate Dean, Research (EADR) are intended to facilitate such collaborative opportunities. In April 2013, we welcomed Dr. Michelle Wong to the newly created role of Director, Research. Her addition recognized the potential value to researchers in our community by having an experienced and well qualified scientist with an NCE background as a resource. The Office of the EADR’s grant development group also grew this year with the addition of Veronica Yakoleff. This grant development team of four supports faculty members with applications both to government granting agencies and to private donors and has contributed to a number of successful team grants, including a $2.5 million CIHR grant to study HIV and aging in HIV-positive women and children, as well as a $5M investment for Parkinson’s research by an international foundation. These resources reflect our commitment to fostering research success and innovation.

Recruitment and renewal of senior leadership positions continues to be a very important part of the Office of the EADR’s work. We owe a due of respect and admiration to Drs. Christian Naus and Linda Matsuuchi for steady leadership of the Life Sciences Institute (LSI) and are pleased to have Dr. Pieter Cullis take over its directorship with renewed vision, coalescing efforts in personalized medicine. These and other research leadership positions, including chairs and professorships, are important vehicles for building our research community.

Our research community also suffered a profound loss with the untimely passing of Dr. Clyde Hertzman, who had achieved the Order of Canada and had been driving an extraordinary effort in the social determinants of health. The Faculty of Medicine has committed resources to this program as part of its social accountability and vision for the future.

Howard Feldman, Executive Associate Dean, Research

3MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE DEAN, RESEARCH

“In the last year, the Office of the EADR undertook six centre reviews, directed at their evaluation with recommendations for their leadership and vision (Appendix A). Special kudos to those centre directors who have had very successful reviews—Dr. Michael Hayden (CMMT), Dr. Wolfram Tetzlaff (ICORD), Drs. Christian Naus/Linda Matsuuchi (LSI – joint review with Faculty of Science), Dr. Robert Brunham (UBC CDC), Dr. Ed Conway (Centre for Blood Research), and Dr. Max Cynader (Brain Research Centre).

The Office of the EADR governance includes monthly Associate Deans, bimonthly Centre Directors, and quarterly Research Council meetings (Appendix B). The office puts out calls for new initiatives as new opportunities arise, including SPOR SUPPORT Unit, SPOR Mental Health, SPOR Primary Care, and CRCs and CFIs.

We are also engaged in important province-wide research strategies, including Health Research BC, the British Columbia Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (BCCRIN), and building research agendas at the Faculty of Medicine’s distributed sites. We were particularly pleased to appoint Dr. Sonia Singh as Assistant Dean, Research, Fraser Health, where she will provide research leadership to our UBC faculty.

As you read through this report, I hope you will feel proud and energized by what we have accomplished together as a research community. We are very proud to receive recognition as being ranked #1 on the University Global Health Impact Report Card, #2 on RE$EARCH Infosource Inc.’s list of Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities 2012, and #3 Research University of the Year.

Howard Feldman, MD, FRCP(C) Executive Associate Dean, Research Professor, Division of Neurology UBC Faculty of Medicine

I hope you will feel proud and energized by what we have accomplished together as a research community.

Research Excellence by the Numbers

David Liu, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology

5RESEARCH EXCELLENCE BY THE NUMBERS

Research Excellence by the Numbers

Overview

According to the UBC Office of Research Services Researcher Information Services database (RISe), the total amount of direct research funding received by the Faculty of Medicine (FoM) in FY 2012-13 was $297M, an increase of $4.2M over the previous year.1 Over the past 5 years, this amount has hovered around the $300M mark, ranging from $280M in 2009 to a high of $303M in 2010.

External Comparators to UBC Faculty of Medicine

Key National and International Rankings

• University Global Health Impact Report Card: UBC ranked #1

• Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities 2012 (RE$EARCH Infosource Inc.): UBC ranked #2

• Canada’s Research University of the Year2 (RE$EARCH Infosource Inc.): UBC ranked #3 in the Medical⁄Doctoral category.

• Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2012–2013:

• UBC ranked #27 in the world in the area of Clinical, Pre-Clinical, and Health

• UBC ranked #20 worldwide (#1 overall in Canada) in the Life Sciences.

#1University Global Health Impact Report Card

1 Numbers presented in this section reflect direct costs of research funding data based on departments/schools/centres within the Faculty of Medicine as of April 1, 2013. 2 Three universities gain RE$EARCH Infosource’s designation of Research University of the Year in their category for their performance on a balanced set of input, output and impact measures for FY2011. These full-service universities are recognized for demonstrating superior achievement both in earning research income and in publishing research in leading scientific journals.


CIHR Operating Grants

The proportion of CIHR operating grant dollars received by UBC relative to Canada’s major research universities is a key performance indicator for the university’s research enterprise. Figure 1 reflects UBC’s position among Canada’s premiere research universities.

Figure 1. CIHR operating grant competitions - total dollars awarded by institution.3

3 Excludes Priority Announcement Funding for each competition.


Faculty of Medicine within UBC Scope of Research

In FY 2012-13, the Faculty of Medicine was responsible for 57% of UBC’s total research activity (Figure 2). The Faculty of Medicine has accounted for at least 50% of UBC’s total research activity for the past five years.

Figure 2. UBC research funding by faculty, FY 2012-13.


Distribution of Research within the Faculty of Medicine

Research within the Faculty of Medicine is distributed across six major research sites (Figure 3). In 2012-13, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) was responsible for 28% of Faculty of Medicine research grant/contract funding. It includes two major research centres: The Brain Research Centre and The Vancouver Prostate Centre.

Figures 4 and 5 present the distribution of Faculty of Medicine total research funding by research centre and department/school, respectively. The grant and contract funding for faculty members with joint appointments to departments and research centres are reported in both their home department and research centre. Therefore, to avoid double counting, the two amounts were not added to derive the total funding of the Faculty of Medicine.

Figure 3. 2012-13 Faculty of Medicine research funding, by research site.4

4 Research funding data for BC CDC site are based on investigators’ primary physical location. For data based on BC CDC affiliation, see Figure 4. 5 Includes research funding credited to centre members’ home departments. Not all faculty members have centre affiliations; therefore, the centre funding total will be less than the Faculty of Medicine total research funding. 6 Excludes research funding credited to a research centre.


Figure 5. 2011-12 Faculty of Medicine total research funding, by department/school.6

Figure 4. 2012-13 Faculty of Medicine research funding, by research centre.5

Building Our Research Community

James Johnson, Associate Professor in the Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences

11BUILDING OUR RESEARCH COMMUNITY

Building Our Research Community

Chairs and professorships are important vehicles that enable the university to attract and retain leaders in our research community. The Faculty of Medicine is fortunate to have access to a number of these prestigious honours, including external sources such as the federal government’s Canada Research Chairs Program as well as those established through the generosity of UBC donors.

Canada Research Chairs

As of March 31, 2013, the Faculty of Medicine has achieved a total of 55 Canada Research Chairs (CRCs), divided between the senior Tier 1 (n = 31) and mid-term level Tier 2 (n = 24) categories.

Two Tier 1 and four Tier 2 Chairs were awarded in FY 2012-13 (Table 1).

Additionally, in early 2013 the Faculty of Medicine held an internal CRC competition with the result that three Tier 2 Chairs were recommended for submission to Ottawa in October 2013.

Table 1. Faculty of Medicine 2012-13 CRC recipients.

Tier Investigator DepartmentTier 2 (renewal) Dr. Susanne Clee Cellular & Physiological

SciencesTier 2 (new) Dr. Linda Li Physical TherapyTier 2 (new) Dr. Sohrab Shah Pathology & Laboratory

MedicineTier 2 (new) Dr. Carles Vilariño-

GüellMedical Genetics

Tier 1 (advancement) Dr. Jason Barton Medicine | Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

Tier 1 (advancement) Dr. Don Sin Medicine

55Canada Research Chairs


Introducing the Faculty of Medicine’s 2012-13 CRC Recipients

Dr. Jason Barton Canada Research Chair in Human Vision and Eye Movement

Dr. Barton studies higher-level visual processing and cognitive control of eye movements, much of it involving face processing and patients with prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize faces. He has used structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging to establish correlations between the brain network and patterns of deficits. Currently he is translating the knowledge gained from these studies to the design of rehabilitative programs based on principles of perceptual learning. New work in his laboratory has also moved to studying another important expert perceptual function in humans, the visual perception of words in the reading process. This work has also been applied to studying the plasticity of the reading process, to determine the most effective ways of improving reading in patients with hemianopic dyslexia.

Dr. Linda Li Canada Research Chair in Patient-Oriented Knowledge Translation

Dr. Li uses digital technology to develop accessible tools and methods to improve how research can be used by people to prevent disease and improve treatment decisions. Her research has identified incomplete discussions about treatment options during medical visits as a major barrier for patients to make informed choices. Her team has used that knowledge to develop an online patient decision aid based on the best research evidence on the first-line arthritis treatment. They have shown that this tool, which is available for public use, improves the quality of patients’ decisions. She is excited to extend this line of research to focus on underserviced populations, including people living in rural and remote communities and immigrant populations.

Dr. Susanne Clee Canada Research Chair in the Genetics of Obesity and Diabetes

Dr. Clee uses mouse model systems to discover novel genetic risk factors for obesity and diabetes to reveal new pathway targets with the goal of better understanding the disease pathophysiologies and developing new therapeutic agents. Her team is on the verge of identifying a new gene that promotes obesity. They have also discovered exciting new mouse models to study obesity, including one that is completely resistant to obesity—despite actually eating more and moving less! This model that includes a high-fat diet has a natural ability to convert fat-storing cells into metabolically active fat-burning cells, which would be a promising treatment for obesity. Another mouse model will provide important clues about how insulin release into the bloodstream is regulated, which could be used to increase insulin in diabetes.


Dr. Donald Sin Canada Research Chair in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Dr. Sin, the country’s first Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in COPD, is committed to fighting the global epidemic of this disease and bringing new solutions to millions of Canadians who suffer from it. His team will be working to increase awareness of COPD by public and health care professionals. Most importantly, they plan to develop and implement a simple blood test to diagnose lung attacks—the main reasons for hospitalizations and deaths related to COPD—at their earliest stages. By enabling early intervention with effective therapies that already exist, this approach has tremendous potential to reduce patient symptoms and prevent hospitalizations and deaths.

Dr. Sohrab Shah Canada Research Chair in Computational Cancer Genomics

Dr. Shah is at the forefront of applying new cancer genome sequencing technologies to gain insight into the genetic underpinnings of disease, and he uses computational innovations to model the evolutionary and biological properties of cancer genomes. His team has published several high-impact studies, and most recently described the dramatic extent of intratumoural heterogeneity in high grade serous ovarian cancers at the time of surgical staging. He is extremely excited about the opportunity to profile tumour evolution at the resolution of single cells in order to precisely determine the genetic properties of tumour progression, metastases, and therapeutic resistance.

Dr. Carles Vilariño-Güell Canada Research Chair in Molecular Characterization of Neurological Diseases

Dr. Vilariño-Güell uses next-generation sequencing technologies to identify the genetic causes of multiple sclerosis, a disease for which there is no cure. His research will build on a Canada-wide effort spanning over 20 years to obtain thousands of biological samples and detailed clinical information from MS patients and their families. This amazing resource combined with technological advances is allowing the identification of the molecular components implicated in onset and progression of this disease. He expects his team’s research will unravel the molecular etiology of MS, and lead to the development of more efficacious drugs that will provide symptomatic benefit by halting the onset of disease and its progression.


CIHR Applied Chairs

CIHR’s prestigious Applied Chairs Program supports high quality applied health services and policy research that is relevant to health system managers, policy makers, and healthcare providers. The chairs foster linkages and create an environment of collaboration and exchange with health system managers and policy makers to support the timely and effective application of research into policies, programs, and practice. Three investigators from the Faculty of Medicine were awarded chairs under this program in 2012-13 (Table 2).

Table 2. Faculty of Medicine investigators awarded CIHR Applied Chairs in 2012-13.

Investigator Chair Project Title Total Awarded

Term

Dr. K.S. Joseph

Applied Chairs in Reproductive, Child & Youth Health Services & Policy Research

Health Services Research for Optimizing Maternal, Fetal and Infant Health

$925,000 5 years

Dr. Mieke Koehoorn

Gender, Work and Health

Gender, Work and Health

$800,000 5 years

Dr. Richard Harrigan

CIHR/GlaxoSmithKline Partnered Research Chair

Viral and Human Predictors of Reponses to HIV Therapies

$700,000 5 years

$2.4MValue of CIHR Applied Chairs


Dr. Andrew Krahn: Sauder Family and Heart and Stroke Foundation Chair in Cardiology, and Paul Brunes UBC Professor in Heart Rhythm Disorders

Supported by $5.5 million from the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Sauder family, the Brunes family, the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, Cardiac Services BC, Providence Health Care, and the University of British Columbia, Dr. Andrew Krahn was recruited to the Faculty of Medicine in 2012 as the new Head of the Division of Cardiology, as well as Head of the Vancouver General Hospital Pacemaker Clinic. An internationally recognized expert in the management of cardiac arrhythmias, Dr. Krahn’s current research interests include investigating the genetic causes of arrhythmias, causes of loss of consciousness, and implantable arrhythmia device monitoring. He has published 245 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is the president of the Canadian Heart Rhythm Society.

A dynamic, imaginative, and determined leader, Dr. Krahn’s responsibilities for building the Faculty of Medicine’s research and teaching capacity in cardiology extend across the entire province. His clinical duties, research, and leadership role will converge in the creation of a province-wide network of clinics to diagnose and treat people with cardiac arrhythmias—estimated to number about 7,000 in BC. Prior to joining UBC he led a national study that detected rare genetic conditions in children and adults who have experienced a sudden cardiac arrest, as well as their family members, who may appear perfectly healthy. Once a genetic condition is identified, a potentially fatal cardiac arrest can be prevented through medication (typically beta-blockers) or implantable defibrillators. Now Dr. Krahn is working to create a similar, province-wide network that would refer individuals with inherited arrhythmia—and their relatives—to a clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital or Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, or use telemedicine technologies to provide remote examinations and counseling.


Table 3. Donor-funded chairs held by faculty within the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

Research Area Chair HolderAnesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Dr. Jean Templeton Hugill Chair in Anaesthesia Dr. Bernard MacLeod

University of British Columbia Chair in Patient Safety Dr. Malcolm MaclureCancer Asa and Kashmir Johal and Family Chair in Paediatric Oncology Dr. Poul Sorensen

BC Leadership Chair in Functional Cancer Imaging Dr. Francois BenardCanadian Cancer Society Chair in Primary Prevention of Cancer Research Dr. Carolyn GotayLiber Ero BC Leadership Chair in Prostate Cancer Research Dr. Martin GleaveUniversity of British Columbia, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, BC-Yukon Chapter, Nan Robertson Chair in Breast Cancer Research

Dr. Samuel Aparicio

VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation Dr. Patricia Clugston Chair in Breast Reconstruction

Open – search

Family Medicine Royal Canadian Legion Chair in Family Medicine Dr. Martin DawesHeart & Lung AstraZeneca Chair in Occupational and Environmental Lung Disease Dr. Christopher

CarlstenSauder Family and Heart and Stroke Foundation Chair in Cardiology Dr. Andrew Krahn

Medicine Allan M McGavin Chair in Geriatric Medicine Dr. Janey McElhaneyCSL-Behring Research Chair in Endothelial Cell Biology Dr. Ed ConwayE.W. Hamber Chair in Medicine Dr. Graydon MeneillyHarold Robinson Arthritis Society Chair in Arthritic Diseases Dr. Linda LiMary C. Fisher Chair of Medicine OpenMary Pack Arthritis Society Chair in Rheumatology Dr. Diane LacailleUBC and St Paul’s Hospital Foundation Chair in AIDS Research Dr. Julio Montaner

Neurosciences & Mental Health

Alcan Chair in Neurosciences Dr. Gary Redekop

Chair in Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Research Pending appointmentCordula and Gunter Paetzold Chair in Spinal Cord Clinical Research Dr. Marcel DvorakDr. Donald Rix BC Leadership Chair in Genetic Medicine Dr. Matthew Farrer

Donor-Funded Chairs and Professorships

As of August 31, 2013, 51 donor-funded chairs (Table 3) and 22 donor-funded professorships (Table 4) were held by faculty within the UBC Faculty of Medicine.73Donor-Funded

Chairs & Professorships


Research Area Chair HolderHeart and Stroke Foundation of BC & Yukon Chair in Stroke Research Dr. Yu Tian WangIMH Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Dr. Anthony BaileyIMH Chair in Psychotherapy OpenIMH LEEF Chair in Depression OpenJack Bell Chair in Schizophrenia Dr. William HonerJohn and Penny Ryan BC Leadership Chair in Spinal Cord Research Dr. Wolfram TetzlaffLouise Brown Chair in Neuroscience Dr. Steven VincentMarianne Koerner Chair in Brain Diseases Dr. Jason BartonMultiple Sclerosis Society of Canada Research Chair, Supported by the MS MRI Group

Dr. Anthony Traboulsee

Pacific Parkinson’s Research Institute UBC Chair in Parkinson’s Research Dr. Silke CresswellProvidence Health Care BC Leadership Chair in Addiction Research Dr. Michael KrauszRick Hansen Institute Spinal Cord Research Chair Pending appointment

Ophthalmology Julia Levy BC Leadership Chair in Macular Research Dr. Kevin Gregory-Evans

Stephen M. Drance Chair in Ophthalmology Dr. David MaberleyPediatrics CH.I.L.D. Foundation Chair in Paediatric Gastroenterology Research Dr. Bruce Vallance

CKNW Orphan’s Fund Chair of Immunology Dr. Stuart TurveyJames & Annabel McCreary Chair in Pediatrics, Supported by the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation

Open

Sauder Family Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases Dr. David SpeertSunnyhill Health Centre BC Leadership Chair in Early Child Development Open – searchRoss Petty - The Arthritis Society Research Chair in Pediatric Rheumatology

Open

Population & Public Health

Chair in Biomedical Ethics Dr. Michael Burgess

Chair in Business and Professional Ethics Dr. David SilverJ. Armand Bombardier Foundation Chair in Regional Transportation Planning

Dr. Lawrence Frank

Maurice Young Chair in Applied Ethics Open – searchWCB Chair in Occupational Hygiene (Applied Science) Dr. Murray HodgsonWCB Chairs7 in Occupational Hygiene (Graduate Studies & Medicine) Dr. Michael Brauer

Surgery C.N. Woodward Chair in Surgery Dr. Garth WarnockIrving K Barber Chair in Diabetes Research Dr. Bruce Verchere

7 These are considered two chairs for counting purposes.


Table 4. Donor-funded professorships held by faculty within the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

Research Area Professorship HolderAudiology & Speech Sciences

Eric W Hamber Professor in Clinical Audiology Open - search

Cancer Dr. Chew Wei MBBS [HK] FRCOG [ENG] Memorial Professorship Dr. David HuntsmanHeart & Lung British Columbia Lung Association Professorship Open - search

GlaxoSmithKline Professorship in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder

Dr. Stefan Van Eeden

McLeod Family Professorship in Valvular Heart Disease Intervention Dr. John WebbPaul Brunes UBC Professorship in Heart Rhythm Disorders Dr. Andrew KrahnUBC Dr. Charles Kerr Professorship in Heart Rhythm Management Open - searchUBC Heart & Stroke Foundation Professorship in Women’s Cardiovascular Health

Dr. Karin Humphries

Neurosciences & Mental Health

BC Neurotrauma Professorship Dr. Matt Ramer

Fipke Professorship in Alzheimer’s Research Pending appointmentJack Brown & Family Professorship in Alzheimer’s Research Dr. Weihong SongRalph Fisher and Alzheimer Society of BC Professorship in Alzheimer Research

Dr. Howard Feldman

R. Howard Webster Professorship in Brain Imaging and Child Development

Dr. Tim Oberlander

Sauder Family and Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC & Yukon Professorship in Clinical Stroke Research

Dr. Phillip Teal

Medicine Glen Hillson Professorship in Clinical Virology Dr. Richard HarriganMichael O’Shaughnessey Professorship in HIV/AIDS & Population Health Open

Pediatrics Aubrey J Tingle Professorship in Paediatric Immunology Dr. Stuart TurveyUBC and BC Children’s Hospital Professorship in Acute and Critical Care - Global Child Health

Dr. Tex Kissoon

Population & Public Health

Mary and Maurice Young Professorship in Applied Ethics Dr. Peter Danielson

Professorship in Health Promotion Open - searchProfessorship in Health Services and Policy Open - search

Surgery Dr. Patrick J. Doyle & Dr. Quentin D. Jacks Professorship in Otolaryngological Research

Dr. Cathie Garnis


David Huntsman, holder of the Dr. Chew Wei MBBS [HK] FRCOG [ENG] Memorial Professorship

Fostering Research Innovation

Chris Carlsten, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine

21FOSTERING RESEARCH INNOVATION

Fostering Research Innovation

Representing the breadth of research innovation, $297 million of direct research funding was awarded to Faculty of Medicine researchers in 2012-13.

Canada Foundation for Innovation

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) supports innovative infrastructure projects that sustain and enhance areas of activity in which the CFI has already invested and provide support to explore promising new research directions.

The Faculty of Medicine received $14.7 million from the CFI Leading Edge Fund 2012 competition (Table 5) and $1.3 million from the CFI Leaders Opportunity Fund (Table 6).

$297MDirect Research Funding

Table 5. Faculty of Medicine CFI Leading Edge Fund 2012 grants.

Investigator(s) Department Total CFI ContributionDr. Leonard Foster Biochemistry and Molecular Biology $2.1MDr. Marco Marra Medical Genetics $5.7MDrs. Darryl Knight and Gordon Francis

Anesthesiology; Medicine $2.5M

Dr. Ivan Robert Nabi Cellular and Physiological Sciences $1.4MDr. Fabio Rossi Medical Genetics $3M

Table 6. Faculty of Medicine CFI Leaders Opportunity Fund 2012 grants.

Investigator Department Total CFI ContributionDr. Jason Barton Medicine, Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences $59,811Dr. Carles Vilariño-Güell Medical Genetics $122,217Dr. Jordan Guenette Physical Therapy $125,000Dr. Geoffrey Hammond Cellular and Physiological Sciences $59,713Dr. Dirk Lange Urologic Sciences $143,865Dr. Linda Li Physical Therapy $42,516Dr. Gregor Reid Pediatrics $299,958Dr. Sohrab Shah Pathology and Laboratory Medicine $265,681Dr. Don Sin Medicine $74,476Dr. Evan Wood Medicine $125,000


Genome Canada/CIHR 2012 Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition in Genomics and Personalized Health

This program was launched by Genome Canada in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in January 2012 with the aim of supporting “large-scale research projects that will demonstrate how genomics-based research can contribute to a more evidence-based approach to health and improving the cost-effectiveness of the health-care system.”8 Of the 17 projects funded across Canada, 3 are led by the UBC Faculty of Medicine (Table 7).

Table 7. Faculty of Medicine recipients of Genome Canada/CIHR 2012 Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition in Genomics and Personalized Health.

Investigators Project Title Total Awarded9 TermDrs. Joseph Connors, Marco Marra, and Randy Gascoyne

Personalized Treatment of Lymphoid Cancer: British Columbia as Model Province

$5,000,000 4 years

Drs. Richard Harrigan and Julio Montaner

Viral and Human Genetic Predictors of Response to HIV Therapies

$2,436,736 4 years

Drs. Sylvie Langlois and Francois Rousseau (Université Laval)

PEGASUS: Personalized Genomics for Prenatal Aneuploidy Screening Using Maternal Blood

$5,248,904 4 years

Drs. Donald Sin and Raymond Ng Clinical Implementation and Outcomes Evaluation of Blood-Based Biomarkers for COPD Management

$3,600,000 4 years

8 http://www.genomecanada.ca/en/portfolio/research/2012-competition.aspx 9 Totals based on CIHR and Genome Canada contributions.

http://www.genomecanada.ca/en/portfolio/research/2012-competition.aspx


Grant Funding Highlights

• Pan-Canadian team led by Dr. Ralph Buttyan awarded $5M 2013 Movember Team Grant by Prostate Cancer Canada

• Dr. Poul Sorensen and colleagues part of international Pediatric Cancer Dream Team awarded $14.5M by Stand Up To Cancer and St. Baldrick’s Foundation

• Dr. Martin Gleave and colleagues part of international prostate cancer Dream Team awarded $10M by Prostate Cancer Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer

• Vancouver Prostate Centre ($11.33M) and CDRD ($8M) awarded additional Networks of Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research funding

• Team led by Dr. Keith Humphries awarded $5.9M New Frontiers Program Project Grant by Terry Fox Foundation

• Drs. Richard Harrigan and Julio Montaner awarded $5M from Genome BC and other funding partners to develop improved HIV drug-resistance test, real-time drug resistance surveillance, and better methods for personalizing treatment of HIV

• Dr. Anthony Traboulsee leading $6M national clinical trial of CCSVI treatment for MS funded by CIHR, MS Society of Canada, and the governments of British Columbia and Quebec

• ICORD researchers benefit from $20M philanthropic investment by Rick Hansen Foundation

• Heart & Stroke Foundation pledged $35M to UBC Faculty of Medicine as part of $300-million national commitment to its newly formed Research Leadership Circle, made up of 19 partner institutions and hospitals.

• Dr. Peter von Dadelszen awarded $17M by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for international pre-eclampsia project

• Drs. Shafique Pirani and Richard Mathias awarded $4.3M by CIDA for Sustainable Clubfoot Care in Bangladesh

• UBC Centre for Disease Control’s Division of Mathematical Modeling (Dr. Babak Pourbohloul) designated UBC’s first WHO Collaborating Centre

L-R: Brian Kwon, Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics; Rick Hansen; Wolfram Tetzlaff, Director of ICORD, at the announcement of a $20 million investment from the Rick Hansen Foundation.


Faculty of Medicine Internal Awards

The Office of the EADR holds a number of internal competitions to promote research and inspire excellence; most are run annually. In academic year 2012-13, the Office of the EADR ran the following competitions:

For UBC Faculty

Distinguished Medical Research Lecturers – Each year the Faculty of Medicine recognizes the outstanding lecturers in our medical research fields. Candidates from Basic Sciences or Clinical Sciences are nominated by fellow faculty members on the basis of a distinguished research career, recognition in the medical community, and effective contributions to student educational growth over the past year. Nominees are selected by the Faculty of Medicine Research Council. Acceptance of this award is accompanied by a seminar open to all faculty members and students as a part of the Leaders in Medical Discovery Series.

The winners for 2013 were Dr. Timothy Murphy and Dr. Michel Roberge in Basic Science and Dr. Garth Warnock in Clinical Science.

The lecture series was held at the Life Sciences Institute on January 20th, 2014:

• “Imaging and controlling the brain with light provides insight into health and disease.” (Dr. Timothy Murphy)

• “Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery” (Dr. Michel Roberge)

• “An Odyssey of Islet Transplantation to Reverse Complications of Diabetes Mellitus” (Dr. Garth Warnock)

Faculty of Medicine Spring Start-Ups – This award provides start-up funding for faculty members who are in the first two years of a full-time appointment. In June 2013, Dr. Tillie-Louise Hackett (Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics) and Dr. Paul Yong (Obstetrics & Gynaecology) were awarded $5,000 each in start-up funding.

Galloway Leukemia Research Seed Funding – This competition is supported by the Bertrand & Nelia Galloway Fund for Research and Leukemia and is intended to support research into the causes and cure for Leukemia. The 2012-13 winner was Dr. Christopher Maxwell (Pediatrics).

Michel Roberge, a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, delivers his Distinguished Medical Research Lecture titled “Chemical biology and drug discovery” on January 20, 2014.


For Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

Faculty of Medicine Graduate Student Awards – Awarded annually, these comprise a number of awards with distinct criteria (varies each year, generally around 10 awards). In 2012-13, these awards provided over $75,000 worth of research funding for graduate students.

Bluma Tischler Postdoctoral Fellowship – This fellowship provides over $20,000 in research funding to a postdoctoral fellow annually. The 2012-13 recipient was Dr. Farah Zahir (Medical Genetics; supervisor Dr. Marco Marra).

4 What Matters – The 4 What Matters Foundation UBC Diabetes Fellowship was made possible by a generous donation from the 4 What Matters Foundation. This research training award is intended to provide one year of salary support for an exceptional postdoctoral fellow to train in diabetes research in a UBC-based laboratory. This one-time award was adjudicated during the 2012-13 year, and three winners were announced in October 2013 (Table 8).

Table 8. Recipients of the Faculty of Medicine’s 4 What Matters Foundation UBC Diabetes Fellowship.

Fellowship Recipient Supervisor Total AwardedDr. Sandra Pereira Dr. Timothy Kieffer

(Cellular & Physiological Sciences)

$30,000

Dr. Anne Pesenacker Dr. Megan Levings (Surgery)

$27,000

Dr. Omid Vahidi Dr. James Piret (Chemical & Biological Engineering)

$27,000

Omid Vahidi, a recipient of the Faculty of Medicine’s 4 What Matters Foundation UBC Diabetes Fellowship.

Recognizing Research Excellence

Julio Montaner, Professor in the Department of Medicine

27RECOGNIZING RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

Recognizing Research Excellence

Highlights

Faculty members were honoured with prestigious research awards and prizes in 2012-13.10

• Dr. James Hogg received 2013 Gairdner Wightman Award

• Dr. Torsten Nielsen received 2012 Young Investigator Award from Canadian Cancer Society

• Dr. David Huntsman received 2012 William E. Rawls Prize from Canadian Cancer Society

• Dr. Dianne Miller received BCMA Terry Fox Medal

• Drs. Samuel Aparicio and Torsten Nielsen received Killam Research Prizes

• Dr. Martin Gleave received Eugene Fuller Triennial Prostate Award

• Dr. Juhn Wada received Lifetime Achievement Award from the International League Against Epilepsy and the International Bureau for Epilepsy

• Dr. Julio Montaner received 2013 Frederic Newton Gisborne Starr Award, the Canadian Medical Association’s highest honour

• Dr. Thomas Oxland received Humboldt Research Award

• Dr. Natalie Strynadka received Howard Hughes Medical Institute Senior International Research Scholar Award

• Drs. Clyde Hertzman and David Scheifele appointed to the Order of Canada

Dianne Miller, Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

10 The Faculty of Medicine’s 2012 Annual Awards Report may be referenced for a complete list of the Faculty’s accomplishments in research, teaching, leadership, and general contributions to

society.

https://mednet.med.ubc.ca/HR/Documents/2012 Annual Awards Report.pdf


Dr. James Hogg Recognized with 2013 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award

Dr. James Hogg, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, received the 2013 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award from the Gairdner Foundation—Canada’s premier honour for leadership in medical science. This award recognizes Dr. Hogg for having “a greater influence on the medical community’s knowledge of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and asthma than any other individual worldwide.” In 1977, Dr. Hogg was recruited to UBC and became the first full-time professor based at St. Paul’s Hospital. He went on to build a world-renowned centre for pulmonary and cardiovascular research—named the UBC James Hogg Research Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research in his honour—which now houses more than 200 staff, post graduate, graduate, and undergraduate students.

Dr. Natalie Strynadka, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Senior International Research Scholar

Dr. Natalie Strynadka, Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Canada Research Chair in Antibiotic Discovery and Medicine, was one of 13 scientists worldwide selected to receive a Senior International Research Scholar (SIRS) award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The SIRS awards support outstanding biomedical scientists working outside the United States who have made significant contributions to fundamental research in the biological sciences. Each HHMI senior international research scholar receives a grant of $100,000 per year over five years, and presents their research at scientific meetings held at HHMI. Dr. Strynadka employs a multidisciplinary structural biology approach to study the molecular details and function of membrane protein assemblies that play key roles in antibiotic resistance and bacterial pathogenicity. Her goal is to use this information to guide design of novel antibiotics and vaccines to treat bacterial infections.


About the 2012 Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize Winner

Dr. Rouleau, winner of the Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize, is a professor of medicine, a Canada Research Chair in Genetics of the Nervous System, and Director of the Centre for Excellence in Neuroscience at the University of Montreal. He has focused on identifying the genes and mutations that play a role in neurological and psychiatric diseases, and understanding the molecular mechanisms that lead to these diseases. In particular, Dr. Rouleau has helped identify 20 disease-causing genes, including those that result in certain brain tumours, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, forms of muscular dystrophy, and juvenile epilepsy. He has proven that genetic mutations play a role in autism, schizophrenia, restless leg syndrome, and Tourette syndrome (of which he is among the world’s most cited authorities). His work led to the development of diagnostic tests for several of these conditions, and laid the groundwork for future treatments. He has received $50 million in research grants over the past two decades, and his work, published in such prestigious journals as Nature, Nature Genetics, The Lancet, Cell, The New England Journal of Medicine, and Science, has been cited over 28,000 times.

National Prizes Awarded by the Faculty of Medicine

The Margolese National Brain and Heart Disorders Prizes

Established in 2011, the prestigious Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize and Margolese National Heart Disorders Prize are awarded annually to two Canadian researchers ($50,000 in each category) who are leaders in the fields of brain and heart research, respectively. The 2012 winners, Dr. Guy Rouleau (University of Montreal, Brain) and Dr. John Cairns (UBC, Heart), were announced in June of that year and honoured at a formal celebration in October 2012.

http://med.ubc.ca/research/deadlines-funding-opportunities/for-faculty/the-margolese-national-brain-heart-disorders-prizes/

http://med.ubc.ca/research/deadlines-funding-opportunities/for-faculty/the-margolese-national-brain-heart-disorders-prizes/


About the 2012 Margolese National Heart Disorders Prize Winner

Dr. Cairns, winner of the Margolese National Heart Disorders Prize, is a professor in UBC’s Division of Cardiology. His research has focused on the causes and prevention of heart attacks, as well as the optimal management of patients who have experienced heart attacks. In particular, he demonstrated, through a multi-centre clinical trial, that aspirin can reduce by more than half the incidence of heart attacks and death among patients with unstable angina (a loss of blood flow and oxygen to the heart). The finding revolutionized treatment of these at-risk individuals, shifting the focus toward limiting the growth of newly-formed clots in coronary arteries (those supplying the heart). Dr. Cairns has led or participated in the development of clinical practice guidelines in Canada and North America for the prevention and treatment of coronary blood clots and prevention of post-heart attack arrhythmias and atrial fibrillations (heart beats that are too fast or irregular). Currently, Dr. Cairns is the co-leader of the Canadian Network and Centre for Trials Internationally, a collaborative national network and coordinating centre, jointly funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Canada Foundation for Innovation, aimed at facilitating multi-centre studies in cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

31RECOGNIZING RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

New National Prize Established to Recognize Excellence in Cancer Research

In 2013, the Faculty of Medicine established a prestigious new prize—The Dr. Chew Wei MBBS [HK] FRCOG [ENG] Memorial Prize in Cancer Research—to recognize a physician or scientist who has made a transformational, internationally recognized contribution to the fight against cancer, with an emphasis on researchers whose achievements span the spectrum of health research, from the laboratory to clinical care to health systems and public policy. Commencing in 2014, one prize of CDN $50,000 will be awarded annually to a Canadian who has made outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration, or cure for cancer. Among the criteria that will be considered is a distinguished record of translating scientific discoveries into clinical applications, forging partnerships with scientists and others to foster cancer research or to implement discoveries, and cultivating future leaders in the field. The prize is awarded with the expectation that the recipient will continue to demonstrate excellence in his/her field of work and serve as leaders to other scientists in the field, sharing his/her insights for years to come.

Training the Next Generation of Researchers

Sarah Chow, PhD ‘13

33TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF RESEARCHERS

Training the Next Generation of Researchers

Exposing students to the fundamental principles and opportunities of research is an important priority of the Faculty of Medicine. In the three undergraduate programs, students are exposed to research through a variety of courses and elective opportunities. For instance, students of the Midwifery program complete a senior research paper, and Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science students may choose to do a research project in their fourth year; students from all three undergraduate programs (only first- and second-year students in the MD program) are eligible to participate in the extracurricular Summer Student Research Program. The Faculty of Medicine’s graduate, postgraduate, and postdoctoral programs provide an immersive research experience and create an important pipeline for future leaders in research and scholarship.

Undergraduate Programs

MD Undergraduate ProgramDr. Dawn DeWitt, Associate Dean MD Undergraduate Program

The UBC MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP) has four geographically distributed sites including the Island Medical Program (IMP), Northern Medical Program (NMP), Vancouver Fraser Medical Program (VFMP), and the Southern Medical Program (SMP), the latter of which opened in 2011.

MD undergraduate students are exposed to research within the current curriculum through many courses and course electives, including the Doctor Patient and Society (DPAS) course. Research ethics and critical appraisal are underscored and students have the opportunity to undertake a self-directed project within the DPAS course requirements. Self-directed projects focus on themes related to biomedical health research, global health activities, or medical education. Students are encouraged to pursue extracurricular research opportunities which may be funded by existing programs (both internal and external) or conducted on a volunteer basis. The Faculty of Medicine provides MD students with funding opportunities for the summer periods between first and second year and/or second and third year (see Summer Student Research Program). However, many students continue their “summer” projects throughout the year or become involved in other ongoing research opportunities. In addition, the Faculty of Medicine facilitates a travel award program which provides funding to students attending conferences to present their research. Within curriculum renewal, a new longitudinal course has been proposed to more formally integrate research and scholarship into the curriculum.

4Distributed sites in the MD Program


Bachelor of Midwifery ProgramKim Campbell, RN, RM, MN, Interim Director

The Midwifery Program at UBC is a four-year undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor of Midwifery degree, and eligibility for direct entry-to-practice as a registered midwife. All midwifery students complete a senior research paper, which may include primary data collection or a critical literature review. The senior research paper is completed under the supervision of a faculty member from the Division of Midwifery, or from other related disciplines. Students with a particular interest in research may apply for an undergraduate research assistant position to support faculty research programs. The Division of Midwifery typically has one or two such positions per year.

Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science ProgramDr. Amanda Bradley, Director

The Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMLSc) Program is an undergraduate science degree in the Faculty of Medicine. It offers an exciting opportunity to learn from faculty and researchers in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, who are recognized as national and international leaders in both basic and clinical research. BMLSc students learn the theoretical knowledge in a broad range of subjects as well as practical, hands-on experience in a variety of lab techniques.

Students interested in pursuing a research career have the option to register in a Directed Studies (PATH 438) research project in their fourth year. Research projects are carried out in the lab of a faculty member of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Students are expected to participate in the design of the project as well as perform experiments and data analysis. On completion, students submit their results in the form of a written research paper and present a 15-minute seminar on their research project at the PATH 438 Oral Presentations Day.

http://pathology.ubc.ca/education-resource/bmlsc/


Summer Student Research ProgramProgram Supervisor: Dr. Peter Leung, Associate Dean Graduate and Postdoctoral Education Program Coordinator: Linda Herbert, Student Research Coordinator, Faculty of Medicine

The Summer Student Research Program (SSRP) is an extracurricular program administered by the Office of the EADR with the goal to inspire and support students to pursue research training. The SSRP provides students an opportunity to engage in biomedical health research over the summer, with some projects continuing beyond the SSRP into the academic year. The competition is open to non-MD undergraduate students (e.g., science, pharmacy, midwifery, or laboratory science undergraduate students) and first- and second-year MD students registered at UBC. It provides funding for an 8-week summer research project supervised by a member of the Faculty of Medicine.

The 2013 SSRP competition received 212 eligible applications (116 from MD students and 96 from non-MD students), a 5% increase in applications when compared with 2011-12. The available funding for the 2013 SSRP competition ($344,088) provided support for 76 MD student projects and 36 non-MD student projects, for a 53% funding success rate. The total number of funded projects (112) increased in comparison with previous years (82 in 2011 and 101 in 2012). The increased funding in 2013 was mainly due to an increase in funds available from our external donors.

In comparison with other health-related summer studentship programs at UBC and affiliated research institutes, the Faculty of Medicine SSRP is by far the largest. The Faculty of Medicine SSRP funds over 100 projects per year while the other programs fund an average of 7-30 projects.

112Funded projects in the Summer Student Research Program

http://med.ubc.ca/research/deadlines-funding-opportunities/for-md-undergraduate-students/summer-student-research-program/


How a Summer Student Research Project is Contributing to the Health of Aboriginal Communities

Students participating in the Faculty of Medicine’s Summer Student Research Program gain valuable real-world experiences that inspire them to pursue careers in research, become life-long learners, and develop the skills needed to respond to the fast-moving world of health care.

This summer, SSRP participant Luke Hughson, Northern Medical Program Class of 2016, and his supervisor, Dr. Robert Olson, Assistant Professor of Surgery, undertook a comprehensive retrospective chart review of all cancer cases diagnosed in the remote BC community of Haida Gwaii. This work is part of an ongoing project that aims to provide insight into the bottlenecks and gaps in care experienced in isolated Aboriginal communities, where coordinating cancer diagnosis and care is a major challenge. Delays in diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and palliation are common in isolated communities, potentially leading to inferior outcomes for Aboriginal Canadians.

Hughson’s participation in this project gave him the opportunity to work with a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team of health experts and community leaders in Haida Gwaii and Prince George. He helped to create and annotate an electronic health record database including all cancer diagnoses on Haida Gwaii since 1969, abstracting key pieces of information from patient charts and critically analyzing the data under the guidance of his supervisors in both Prince George and Haida Gwaii. “This was a valuable opportunity for me to learn how patients and practitioners approach cancer care in rural northern communities,” says Hughson. When the project is complete, the findings will be used to advocate for measures to address these issues in the study communities and to provide insight into issues that may be present in other Aboriginal and remote communities.

Luke Hughson, Northern Medical Program Class of 2016, spent the summer researching gaps in cancer care experienced in isolated Aboriginal communities, such as Haida Gwaii.


Graduate, Postgraduate, and Postdoctoral Programs

Following a successful review at the end of his 5-year term, Dr. Peter Leung was reappointed as the Associate Dean, Graduate & Postdoctoral Education for the Faculty of Medicine. The portfolio of Postdoctoral Education is now folded into his role in recognition of opportunities to more fully engage PhD trainees within Faculty of Medicine activities.

MD/PhD Program

The UBC MD/PhD Program is an integrated program jointly administered by the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Its purpose is to provide selected and highly qualified students the opportunity to combine their medical school experience with intensive scientific research training in a PhD graduate program, in order to pursue careers as clinician-scientists. The program is designed such that students can receive the combined MD/PhD degree after successful completion of seven years of enrollment. The program of study is built upon the standard MD curriculum, but it is further customized to meet the unique PhD training program requirements of individual students based on their background, previous research experience, and chosen medical field of expertise.

Master’s and PhD Programs

As of November 2013, the Faculty of Medicine had 1308 graduate students enrolled in master’s and PhD programs; this includes 352 students in health professional programs. A breakdown of the number of graduate students by program can be found in Appendix C.

1,308Graduate Students


Future Research Leader: Dr. Will Guest, MD/PhD Program, Class of 2013

In the spring of 2013, at age 25, Will Guest become the youngest graduate from the Faculty of Medicine’s combined MD/PhD program, having started at 19 and completing it a year sooner than usual. After skipping fifth grade and taking university math courses while still in high school, Guest graduated from the University of Manitoba with degrees in physics and biochemistry and had to decide in which direction he was headed. “At the time, only University of Toronto and UBC offered MD/PhD programs, and I was more impressed with the quality and organization of the program here,” says Guest, who admitted that his younger brother’s well-timed admission to UBC’s undergraduate program in geophysics also nudged him toward the west coast campus.

Now, an algorithm Guest formulated with his mentors, neurologist Neil Cashman and physicist Steve Plotkin, is patent-pending and shows promise in aiding the development of diagnostic tests for neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (the human variant of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease). “At present there are poor diagnostic tests and therapeutic options for both diseases,” says Guest. “Patients are diagnosed at late stages when they experience motor deficits or rapidly deteriorating dementia—and in some cases only after death.... By figuring out the molecular mechanism of these diseases, we could catch them early on, and also identify new potential targets for treatment.” Guest’s algorithm searches for regions in a protein that become exposed when it misfolds, creating a sort of “handle” that an antibody can latch onto. It is currently being tested by Cashman’s spin-off company, Amorfix Life Sciences.


Clinician Investigator ProgramDr. Siân Spacey, Director

The UBC Clinician Investigator Program is designed to provide a combined research and clinical training stream for residents in clinical specialty programs at UBC. The aim is to encourage young physicians to pursue careers as clinician-scientists and to renew the clinical academic faculty at UBC and other Canadian medical schools. During the 2012-13 academic year, 15 individuals were enrolled in the Clinician Investigator Program.

Postdoctoral Research Fellows

Postdoctoral research fellows are individuals who have completed a doctoral degree (PhD) and who are seeking the opportunity to train further in a particular area of research.

According to an internal tracking system (HRMS), there were 291 postdoctoral research fellows appointed within the Faculty of Medicine as of November 2013. The aggregate number inclusive of postdoctoral research fellows working at distributed sites, including health authorities, is larger.

291Postdoctoral Research Fellows


MOT students Yoyo Cheung and Luisa Yu present at Solutions Expo 2012. This annual student design exposition is an opportunity for OT students to work collaboratively with engineering and other UBC students. Together they develop innovative ideas and deliver a prototype for an assistive device or technology, which is then displayed to the public.


Spotlight on Health Professions Student Research and Innovation: Occupational Therapy Program

The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is one of the Faculty of Medicine’s four health professional graduate programs and the only occupational therapy program in BC. The MOT degree prepares graduates to be self-directed, lifelong learners who consciously use theory, evidence, and critical thinking skills to maintain, evaluate, and improve their practice of occupational therapy.

In 2012-2013, MOT graduating students (in pairs):

• completed 23 small-scale research projects presented at their Capstone Conference, and

• presented 21 of these studies at the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists conference in Victoria, BC. A total of 41/48 students from the graduating class presented, representing an 85% participation rate.

• Up to 50% go on to publication as peer-reviewed journal articles, consumer reports, or newsletters, as appropriate to the audience.

Building UBC’s Global Partnerships

Shafique Pirani, Clinical Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics

43BUILDING UBC’S GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS

Building UBC’s Global Partnerships

Building on the Strategic Plan of the Office of the Vice President Research and International and guided by the Faculty of Medicine Strategic Direction, the Faculty of Medicine is creating an international program. Its goal is to ensure a greater degree of success in our international engagement through a coordination of efforts; to establish a framework with a geographic focus, similar to that of the university; to ensure all international activities meet the goals of the Faculty’s strategic plan along the research/education/service continuum; and to establish guidelines as to when international activities are supported and recognized by the Faculty as a whole. China, Europe, and the US are being proposed as geographic priority areas for the Faculty’s international engagement.

As of August 31, 2013, the Faculty of Medicine has 25 agreements with 23 international institutions in 10 countries (Appendix D). Of the current agreements, 17 are with Asian institutions, the majority of which are in China (15 agreements). Six new agreements have been signed this academic year, including 5 in China. While formal agreements with the US and Europe are currently limited, many informal collaborations exist with individuals in these regions, and the Faculty of Medicine is aiming to expand these existing relationships to create formal linkages and build research networks.

Generally, agreements set out the following intended areas of cooperation:

• exchange of visiting students, scholars, faculty, and postdoctoral fellows

• exchange of scholarly information, including research papers, indices to theses, and books on relevant subjects

• exchange of invitations to attend scholarly and technical meetings, forums and conferences, joint conferences, seminars, workshops

• joint conferences, seminars, workshops, and exhibitions

• review of other possible areas of cooperation in a variety of research and academic projects

25International Agreements

http://research.ubc.ca/vpri/international-strategic-plan

http://med.ubc.ca/about/our-strategic-direction/


Agreements that pertain to individual faculty members and/or departments (i.e., narrow engagement) are generally limited to the unit involved. The Faculty of Medicine also encourages and endorses agreements that span the research/education/service continuum, providing a broad level of engagement and the potential for multiple units to be involved and multiple activities to be generated. Such agreements at the Faculty or University level are signed with institutions viewed as strategic partners and with due support and resources, where available, from the Faculty of Medicine Dean’s Office.

Key research activities generated from these agreements include:

• Establishment of the International Alliance for Translational Neuroscience between UBC’s Brain Research Centre, Capital Medical University’s Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and Massachusetts General Hospital. This Alliance was formed in August 2012 to achieve decisive advancements in the field of neuroscience and associated disorders by utilizing existing strengths of each institution to promote the integration of research, education/training, and collaboration of translational neuroscience research activities among the member institutions.

• Canada-China Joint Center for Translational Medical Research in both Child Development and Alzheimer’s Disease between UBC & Chongqing Medical University (CMU), China, co-directed by Dr. Li Tingyu of CMU and Dr. Weihong Song of UBC, signed October 2011. There is a university-wide agreement with this institution, which specializes in pediatrics and boasts a 3000-bed children’s hospital.

• Collaborative Research Center in Reproductive Medicine between UBC & Zhejiang University, China, jointly directed by Prof. Hefeng Huang, Prof. Peter C.K. Leung, and Prof. Robert M. Liston. The relationship between the UBC Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynaecology & Zhejiang University Medical School Women’s Hospital was signed February 2012. Both Drs. Leung and Liston conduct research projects at Zhejiang University.

Charles Larson, Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, and Zhibin Li, a neurologist at Guangzhou Women’s and Children’s Medical Centre, discuss the roll-out of training programs in non-specialized, regional hospitals of Guangzhou city and Guangdong province.

45BUILDING UBC’S GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS

• Academic agreement between The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, as represented by the Center for American Indian Health, and UBC Faculty of Medicine (SPPH) to collaborate in education and research initiatives in areas of mutual interest that will contribute to the improvement of the health of Indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada. Intended areas of collaboration include graduate education, identifying sources of financial support, student recruitment and retention in professional health training programs, capacity-building, especially in the area of independent research conducted by Indigenous communities, consultation and training, direct services, and outreach.

• Academic agreement between UBC’s Brain Research Centre and Xi’an Jiao Tong University School of Medicine to encourage cooperation in the area of brain research.

• Academic and research cooperation between UBC Faculty of Medicine and Fudan University, Shanghai Medical College, China, and between UBC Faculty of Medicine and Peking University Health Sciences Centre.

• Agreement between UBC and the Guangzhou Women and Children’s Health Center in Guangdong (GWCHC), China, signed November 2011. UBC researchers helped to design and are currently assisting in managing the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study (target sample size: 30,000), which was initiated in 2012, spearheaded by the GWCHC. The data collected from the cohort study will help to establish the relationship between genetics and the environment in predicting health outcomes and data to be used to set health priorities in the region regarding pregnancy and early childhood care.

Maureen O’Donnell (kneeling), Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, helping assess a child with cerebral palsy at Guangzhou Women’s and Children’s Medical Centre in 2011.

Research Impact

Kristin Campbell (left), Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy

47RESEARCH IMPACT

Research Impact

The Faculty of Medicine has invested significant resources to advance our three areas of pre-eminence—cancer, neuroscience & mental health, and heart & lung health. Our research community has rallied around these important health issues and is making a significant impact in each area.

Cancer

The Faculty of Medicine’s cancer research community has achieved world-leading research programs such as those focused on breast cancer, ovarian cancer—OvCaRe (Ovarian Cancer Research program)—and prostate cancer—the Vancouver Prostate Centre.

The breast cancer program at the BC Cancer Agency is at the leading edge internationally, having defined over 10 distinct subtypes of breast cancer and conducted ground-breaking work showing how aggressive breast cancers evolve over time. This has opened up the route to understanding why some cancers resist treatment and how to approach the problem of multiple targets in breast cancer. The work of the breast team, led since 2005 by Dr. Sam Aparicio, was featured by the BBC as one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2012.

The OvCaRe team, led by Drs. Diane Miller, David Huntsman, and Blake Gilks, has made several game-changing discoveries, including the discovery of the mutations that cause several types of ovarian cancer and the development of a unique ovarian cancer prevention program based on the realization that most ovarian cancers do not start in the ovary, rather they either arise from or pass through the fallopian tubes. Now surgeons in BC remove the fallopian tubes during gynecological surgeries such as hysterectomies and tubal ligation. This change in surgical approach combined with genetic testing could potentially reduce ovarian-cancer-related deaths by up to 50% over the next two decades.

The Vancouver Prostate Centre, led by Dr. Martin Gleave, has set the standard for disease-type focused multidisciplinary research. Over its ten-year history, this team has discovered and developed several new targeted therapies which have proven through national and international clinical trials to be treatment approaches of tremendous potential for advanced prostate cancer. This research has led to the development of patented drug products and contributed to creating, growing, and sustaining a number of biotech companies here in BC, and across Canada.

3Areas of Pre-eminence:• Cancer• Neuroscience &

Mental Health • Heart & Lung Health


Table 10. Comparison of field-weighted citation impact in oncology.

From: InCites TM, Thomson Reuters (2012). Source of data: Thomson Reuters Web of Science

49RESEARCH IMPACT

Table 9. Recent high-impact papers published by Faculty of Medicine investigators - Cancer/Personalized Medicine.

Article Title Authors Journal Title

Year Published

Impact Factor of Journal

Times Cited

Frequent mutation of histone-modifying genes in non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Morin, RD; Mendez-Lago, M; Mungall, AJ; Goya, R; Mungall, KL; Corbett, RD; Johnson, NA; Severson, TM; Chiu, R; Field, M; Jackman, S; Krzywinski, M; Scott, DW; Trinh, DL; Tamura-Wells, J; Li, S; Firme, MR; Rogic, S; Griffith, M; Chan, S; Yakovenko, O; Meyer, IM; Zhao, EY; Smailus, D; Moksa, M; Chittaranjan, S; Rimsza, L; Brooks-Wilson, A; Spinelli, JJ; Ben-Neriah, S; Meissner, B; Woolcock, B; Boyle, M; McDonald, H; Tam, A; Zhao, YJ; Delaney, A; Zeng, T; Tse, K; Butterfield, Y; Birol, I; Holt, R; Schein, J; Horsman, DE; Moore, R; Jones, SJM; Connors, JM; Hirst, M; Gascoyne, RD; Marra, MA

NATURE 2011 36.280 197

The genomic and transcriptomic architecture of 2,000 breast tumours reveals novel subgroups

Curtis, C; Shah, SP; Chin, SF; Turashvili, G; Rueda, OM; Dunning, MJ; Speed, D; Lynch, AG; Samarajiwa, S; Yuan, YY; Graf, S; Ha, G; Haffari, G; Bashashati, A; Russell, R; McKinney, S; Langerod, A; Green, A; Provenzano, E; Wishart, G; Pinder, S; Watson, P; Markowetz, F; Murphy, L; Ellis, I; Purushotham, A; Borresen-Dale, AL; Brenton, JD; Tavare, S; Caldas, C; Aparicio, SAJ

NATURE 2012 38.597 192

The clonal and mutational evolution spectrum of primary triple-negative breast cancers

Shah, SP; Roth, A; Goya, R; Oloumi, A; Ha, G; Zhao, YJ; Turashvili, G; Ding, JR; Tse, K; Haffari, G; Bashashati, A; Prentice, LM; Khattra, J; Burleigh, A; Yap, D; Bernard, V; McPherson, A; Shumansky, K; Crisan, A; Giuliany, R; Heravi-Moussavi, A; Rosner, J; Lai, D; Birol, I; Varhol, R; Tam, A; Dhalla, N; Zeng, T; Ma, K; Chan, SK; Griffith, M; Moradian, A; Cheng, SWG; Morin, GB; Watson, P; Gelmon, K; Chia, S; Chin, SF; Curtis, C; Rueda, OM; Pharoah, PD; Damaraju, S; Mackey, J; Hoon, K; Harkins, T; Tadigotla, V; Sigaroudinia, M; Gascard, P; Tlsty, T; Costello, JF; Meyer, IM; Eaves, CJ; Wasserman, WW; Jones, S; Huntsman, D; Hirst, M; Caldas, C; Marra, MA; Aparicio, SAJ

NATURE 2012 38.597 139

Data from: Thomson Reuters Web of Science, Version 5.12. Citation counts are as of November 14, 2013


Neuroscience & Mental Health

The Faculty of Medicine is a global leader in translating scientific insights about the brain into tangible gains for patients and for society. One recent example of such tangible impact is the work of Dr. Matthew Farrer. With the help of Dutch-German-Mennonite families, initially from Saskatchewan and subsequently across four additional Canadian Provinces, Dr. Farrer’s collaborative team has identified DNAJC13 p.N855S, a novel pathogenic mutation linked to typical late-onset Lewy body Parkinson’s disease. DNAJC13 encodes a protein known as ‘receptor-mediated endocytosis 8’ (RME8), which helps control clathrin-independent protein cargo sorting in the early endosome, directing specific protein cargos either for recycling to the plasma membrane or for degradation via the lysosome. This discovery is the second protein to implicate the early endosome recycling pathway in Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis and is considered the “missing link” that helps unify past discoveries in Parkinson’s. It provides the insights and tools to model the process, and suggests novel methods for intervention. It was made public in June 2012 during Dr. Farrer’s keynote speech at the 16th International Movement Disorders Congress on Parkinson’s Disease, Dublin, Ireland, and a publication is forthcoming. In addition to advancing new knowledge that will improve health, the families who participated in this research project now have answers as to why so many of them have been ravaged by this disease, and it has given them a sense of hope that something good might yet result from their suffering.

Table 12. Comparison of field-weighted citation impact in neuroscience, psychiatry & psychology.


51RESEARCH IMPACT

Table 13. Recent high-impact papers published by Faculty of Medicine investigators - Neuroscience/Mental Health.

Article Title Authors Journal Title Year Published


Total Citations

Expanded GGGGCC Hexanucleotide Repeat in Noncoding Region of C9ORF72 Causes Chromosome 9p-Linked FTD and ALS

DeJesus-Hernandez, M; Mackenzie, IRA; Boeve, BF; Boxer, AL; Baker, M; Rutherford, NJ; Nicholson, AM; Finch, NA; Flynn, H; Adamson, J; Kouri, N; Wojtas, A; Sengdy, P; Hsiung, GYR; Karydas, A; Seeley, WW; Josephs, KA; Coppola, G; Geschwind, DH; Wszolek, ZK; Feldman, H; Knopman, DS; Petersen, RC; Miller, BL; Dickson, DW; Boylan, KB; Graff-Radford, NR; Rademakers, R

NEURON 2011 14.736 407

VPS35 Mutations in Parkinson Disease

Vilarino-Guell, C; Wider, C; Ross, OA; Dachsel, JC; Kachergus, JM; Lincoln, SJ; Soto-Ortolaza, AI; Cobb, SA; Wilhoite, GJ; Bacon, JA; Behrouz, B; Melrose, HL; Hentati, E; Puschmann, A; Evans, DM; Conibear, E; Wasserman, WW; Aasly, JO; Burkhard, PR; Djaldetti, R; Ghika, J; Hentati, F; Krygowska-Wajs, A; Lynch, T; Melamed, E; Rajput, A; Rajput, AH; Solida, A; Wu, RM; Uitti, RJ; Wszolek, ZK; Vingerhoets, F; Farrer, MJ

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS

2011 10.603 81



Heart & Lung Health

The Faculty of Medicine is recognized around the world for innovations in heart and lung research. The following vignettes illustrate examples of the exciting research that is currently underway and which may lead to significant advances for patient care.

Improving outcomes for patients with severe infections

Members of the UBC James Hogg Research Centre are pursuing an exciting new lead that will make a tangible difference in the lives of patients with severe infections. In these individuals, bacteria and other infectious organisms trigger an injurious inflammatory response because our bodies react to lipid (fat-related) molecules released from the infectious organism’s cell walls. Our liver cells normally get rid of fat-related molecules (like cholesterol lipids) by using cholesterol receptors on the surface of liver cells. PCSK9 is a molecule produced by our bodies that gets in the way of this normal lipid clearance mechanism so that, very recently, many scientists and drug companies have developed drugs that inhibit PCSK9, resulting in increased clearance of cholesterol lipid. Drs. Jim Russell, John Boyd, and Keith Walley have found early evidence that inhibition of PCSK9 also increases the clearance of infectious organism lipids and appears to reduce the inflammatory response to severe infection. Their data suggest that decreased PCSK9 (the hot new lipid-lowering drug class) activity increases pathogen lipid clearance. These scientists are eager to determine exactly how PCSK9 inhibition does this so that knowledge can be applied to improve patient outcomes.

Biomarkers bring hope for heart transplant patients

Heart transplant patients know the risks. At least half of them are at risk for developing cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), a “hardening of the arteries” process that can especially develop after the first year post transplant. Current screening involves the use of coronary angiography or intravascular ultrasound; invasive, expensive, and risky procedures. The Biomarker in Transplantation Team from the Centre of Excellence for Prevention of Organ Failure (PROOF Centre) led by Dr. Bruce McManus is keen to find another way—a less invasive blood test—to answer the same question. Recently this multidisciplinary team has identified an 18-plasma protein biomarker classifier panel that was able to classify and identify patients with angiographically significant coronary artery stenosis in transplanted hearts. The biomarkers identified may also help improve our understanding of CAV pathophysiology. This new minimally invasive test is promising news for all transplant patients. In collaboration with clinical leaders, scientists, and pharmaceutical and medical device companies, the PROOF Centre’s goal is to accelerate development of these cost-effective biomarker-based blood tests and bring them to market as soon as possible.

microRNAs: Potential targets for antiviral drug development for heart disease

Virally caused heart disease called myocarditis (heart muscle cell injury) is one of the common heart diseases, particularly in children, young adults, and pregnant women. Coxsackie virus, a virus that was discovered in a small town called Coxsackie near New York City, is the primary causal agent of viral myocarditis. This virus can infect multiple organs of humans, but the degrees of infection are different. For example, heart and pancreas can be easily infected by this virus and develop deadly diseases shortly after infection, particularly in the heart. However, kidney and lung are hardly infected by this virus. This phenomenon cannot be explained very well with current knowledge. Dr. Decheng Yang and his team are actively searching for the genes or molecules in the body that determine why Coxsackie virus can easily infect the

53RESEARCH IMPACT

heart but not the kidney. Recently, a group of small genetic molecules called microRNAs (miRNA) has been found to play an important role in controlling virus infection in different types of diseases. They suspected that miRNAs may control the degree of easiness of infection in different organs, such as the heart and kidney. To test this hypothesis, they performed research to evaluate the miRNA production in different cell cultures and heart of mice after coxackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection. They found that several important miRNAs either produced a lot (upregulated) or produced a little (downregulated). With further testing their results suggest that upregulated miR-126 during CVB3 infection varies targeting preferences at different stages, enabling a single microRNA to support the viral infection by targeting multiple genes. To the best of their knowledge, this study is the first report on the signal networking among miR-126, SPRED1, LRP6 and WRCH1 in CVB3 infection. The findings (published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, June 30, 2013) will greatly improve the understanding of CVB3-host interactions, especially how the virus hijacks host small RNA molecules to benefit its own replication and cause heart damage, and show huge potential for the development of antiviral drugs that can target the microRNAs.

Table 14. Comparison of field-weighted citation impact in cardiac and cardiovascular systems.



Table 15. Comparison of field-weighted citation impact in peripheral vascular disease.

Table 16. Comparison of field-weighted citation impact in respiratory system.



55RESEARCH IMPACT

Table 10. Recent high-impact papers published by Faculty of Medicine investigators - Heart & Lung Health.

Article Title Authors Journal Title Year Published


Total Citations

Fluid resuscitation in septic shock: A positive fluid balance and elevated central venous pressure are associated with increased mortality

Boyd, JH; Forbes, J; Nakada, TA; Walley, KR; Russell, JA

CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE

2011 6.330 100

Small-Airway Obstruction and Emphysema in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

McDonough, JE; Yuan, R; Suzuki, M; Seyednejad, N; Elliott, WM; Sanchez, PG; Wright, AC; Gefter, WB; Litzky, L; Coxson, HO; Pare, PD; Sin, DD; Pierce, RA; Woods, JC; McWilliams, AM; Mayo, JR; Lam, SC; Cooper, JD; Hogg, JC

NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE

2011 53.298 72

Lung Natural Helper Cells Are a Critical Source of Th2 Cell-Type Cytokines in Protease Allergen-Induced Airway Inflammation

Halim, TYF; Krauss, RH; Sun, AC; Takei, F

IMMUNITY 2012 19.795 59

3-Dimensional Aortic Annular Assessment by Multidetector Computed Tomography Predicts Moderate or Severe Paravalvular Regurgitation After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis

Willson, AB; Webb, JG; LaBounty, TM; Achenbach, S; Moss, R; Wheeler, M; Thompson, C; Min, JK; Gurvitch, R; Norgaard, BL; Hague, CJ; Toggweiler, S; Binder, R; Freeman, M; Poulter, R; Poulsen, S; Wood, DA; Leipsic, J

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY

2012 14.086 47


Research Opportunities Update

Yu Tian Wang, Professor in the Department of Medicine

57RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES UPDATE

Research Opportunities Update

BC Clinical Research Infrastructure Network

The British Columbia Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (BCCRIN) is a first-of-its-kind collaborative partnership focused on transforming the clinical research landscape in British Columbia, thereby enhancing our ability to compete in what has become a highly competitive global marketplace for clinical research. It has grown to a pan-provincial network of 23 member organizations representing research institutions, health authorities, universities, granting organizations, and the life sciences industry. The vision of BCCRIN is that British Columbia will be among the world leaders in clinical research, driven by patient needs, and enabled by advanced science and methodologies. BCCRIN pursues an optimized provincial environment for clinical research that results in the best patient care decisions and strategies for a sustainable healthcare system.

In June 2013, BCCRIN achieved a BC Master Clinical Trial Agreement Template (mCTA) that may be used as a starting point in the negotiation of sponsor-initiated clinical trial agreements with BCCRIN members. It also completed an Economic Impact Study, serving to benchmark the current levels of investment in clinical research in BC and the sources of funding.

Details of programs and initiatives are found on BCCRIN’s website at www.bccrin.ca

23Member Organizations:

• research institutions

• health authorities

• universities

• granting organizations

• life sciences industry

http://www.bccrin.ca/

http://www.bccrin.ca/


SPOR (Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research)

SPOR (Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research) is a national initiative funded by CIHR to ensure better translation of research findings into clinical practice. SPOR is proposing to support a SUPPORT (Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials) unit in every province or region in Canada. This unit would provide support for clinical research, advance methodological training, assist with and develop studies, as well as address research questions and create capacity to access linked data, especially provincial data bases. In BC, an application is currently being spearheaded by MSFHR, with expected 2014 submission. The Faculty of Medicine is involved in helping BC researchers with developing SPOR national networks proposals in Primary Care and Mental Health. Both should receive funding in 2014.

Health Research BC

After initial meetings in late April 2012 with the BC Ministry of Health, BC Health Authorities, research-intensive universities, and health authority research institutes, MSFHR has been leading the development of a provincial health research strategy. It is expected this will dovetail with the SPOR SUPPORT Unit and be completed in 2014.

2014Expected completion date of provincial health research strategy

http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/41204.html

59CONCLUSION

Conclusion

The research program undertaken through the Faculty of Medicine in 2012-13 has been very productive. Research funding levels increased $4.2M over the previous year. The Faculty of Medicine accounts for more than half of all the research funding at UBC. Numerous faculty members have been recognized with prestigious national and international research awards and prizes, and many others were supported by the Faculty through internal research awards. Student interest in and exposure to research remains strong, with a record number of students funded by the Summer Student Research Program in 2012-13. The research program is broadening through the excellent growth of the School of Population and Public Health and the Faculty’s international initiatives. Support for international research activities is growing as the International Affairs Office ramps up its efforts. There are a number of exciting provincial research initiatives also underway, which will serve to strengthen UBC’s position as a national leader in health and biomedical research.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the following individuals for contributing their knowledge and expertise to help in the preparation of this report: Dr. Catherine Backman, Bernice Banguis, Dr. Jason Barton, Dr. Elizabeth Cheu, Hansen Chou, Dr. Susanne Clee, Dean English, Patricia Gray, Melanie Hanson, Heather Harris, Linda Herbert, Luke Hughson, Susan Jackson, Lina Jung, Brian Kladko, Dr. Peter Leung, Kathryn Bell Lewis, Dr. Linda Li, Leah Lockhart, Lindsay Lynch, Dr. Bill Miller, Dr. Don Sin, Heather Swallow, Dr. Sohrab Shah, Dr. Katie Sheenan, Lisa Slater, Elaine Stearman, Amy Tsang, UBC Public Affairs, Mark Vernon, Dr. Carles Vilarino-Guell, Dr. Keith Walley, Daniella Weber, Bryan Wong, Dr. Michelle Wong, and Dr. Decheng Yang.


Appendices

Appendix A – Overview of UBC Faculty of Medicine Research Centre Reviews

Purpose

The purpose of a Research Centre review is to:

• Assess the productivity and scholarly impact of the Research Centre in the preceding five years.

• Evaluate the quality of the Research Centre, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, effectiveness of cross-disciplinary research, accomplishments, collaborations, educational and research programs, and adequacy of resources.

• Provide input into the key areas of focus over the next five years and the long-range planning for the Research Centre.

• Offer recommendations on the strategic direction of the Research Centre and its optimal interface with UBC and its affiliated health authority.

• Offer a recommendation on the Centre’s leadership and the key areas of focus over the next five years, prior to the conclusion of the Centre Director’s term.

Frequency and Types of Review

• An internal review will be conducted four and a half (4.5) years after the first appointment of a new Centre Director. An external review may be considered in extenuating circumstances.

• An external review will be conducted nine year (9) years after the first appointment of a new Centre Director.

Review Committee Composition

• The Internal Review Committee will be selected, in consultation with the relevant health authority or affiliated unit, if applicable, by the Executive Associate Dean, Research. This Committee will normally be composed of a chair and two other senior UBC faculty members with appropriate background in the field. A co-chair may be appointed as a fourth member.

• The External Review Committee will be selected, in consultation with the relevant health authority or affiliated unit, if applicable, by the UBC Executive Associate Dean, Research. This Committee will normally be composed of one senior UBC faculty member to serve as chair, and two external reviewers who are leaders in the field. A co-chair may be appointed as a fourth member.

61APPENDICES

Review Process Summary for Internal and External Reviews

• The Research Centre will prepare and provide the Executive Associate Dean, Research with a self-study report, in standard Faculty of Medicine format, which will then be provided to the Review Committee.

• The Review Committee will meet with members of the Research Centre and relevant Departments and Schools over a 1-2 day period.

• The Review Committee will provide the Executive Associate Dean, Research with a written report which includes their recommendations.

• The Research Centre will review the report and provide a written response to the Executive Associate Dean, Research.

• The Executive Associate Dean, Research will discuss the report, response, and action plan with the Dean, Centre Director, and health authority or affiliated unit (if applicable).

• The Centre Director will present the Centre review and response to Faculty Executive.

• After Centre Director’s first term: In consultation with the Dean of Medicine, the Executive Associate Dean, Research will either offer the Centre Director a second term, or arrangements will be made to begin a search for a new Centre Director.

• After Centre Director’s second term: In consultation with the Dean of Medicine, the Executive Associate Dean, Research will begin a search for a new Centre Director.


Appendix B – UBC Faculty of Medicine Research Committees

Research Council (Academic Year 2012-13)

Representation NameExecutive Associate Dean, Research, UBC (Chair)

Dr. Howard Feldman

Executive Associate Dean, Education Dr. David Snadden Regional Associate Deans Interior Dr. Allan Jones

Northern BC Dr. Paul Winwood Vancouver Fraser Dr. Dawn DeWittVancouver Island Drs. Oscar Casiro and Laura Arbour

Associate Dean, Graduate & Postdoctoral Education

Dr. Peter Leung

Associate Dean, Professional Development

Dr. Gisele Bourgeois-Law

Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education

Dr. Roger Wong

Associate Deans, Research BC Cancer Agency Dr. Sam AbrahamChildren & Family Research Institute Dr. Jan FriedmanPoint Grey VacantProvidence Health Care Research Institute

Dr. Yvonne Lefebvre

Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute

Dr. Robert McMaster

Centre/Institute Directors Biomedical Research Centre Drs. Kelly McNagny and Fabio Rossi

Brain Research Centre Dr. Max CynaderCentre for Blood Research Dr. Ed ConwayCentre for Health Evaluation & Outcome Sciences

Dr. Aslam Anis

Centre for Health Services and Policy Research

Dr. Morris Barer

Centre for Hip Health & Mobility Dr. Heather McKayCentre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics

Dr. Michael Hayden

Human Early Learning Partnership Dr. Clyde Hertzman (deceased Feb 2012) Dr. Jeannie Shoveller (Interim)

ICORD Dr. Wolfram Tetzlaff UBC Centre for Disease Control Dr. Robert Brunham

63APPENDICES

Representation NameUBC James Hogg Research Centre Dr. Bruce McManusVancouver Prostate Centre Dr. Martin GleaveLife Sciences Institute Dr. Pieter Cullis

Faculty members representing clinicians elected by Faculty

Radiology Dr. Jonathon LeipsicMedicine Dr. Winson Cheung

Faculty members representing scientists elected by Faculty

Pediatrics Dr. Bruce VallancePediatrics Dr. Sheila Innis

Faculty member at Large elected by Faculty

Surgery Dr. Ivo Olivotto

Faculty Executive representatives elected by Faculty Executive

Medical Genetics Dr. Carolyn BrownEmergency Medicine Dr. Jim Christenson

Department Head/School Director representatives appointed by the Dean

Family Practice Dr. Martin DawesPopulation and Public Health Dr. David PatrickPhysical Therapy Dr. Jayne Garland

Graduate Student Basic Science Ms. Alina Yu Jia ChanGraduate Student Clinical Science Ms. Megan McGillvrayGraduate Student MD/PhD Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Ms. Clara Westwell-RoperPostdoctoral Fellow Psychiatry Dr. Gergely SilasiMUS Student VFMP 2015 Ms. Lawrence Haiducu


Associate/Assistant Deans, Research (Academic Year 2012-13)

Title NameExecutive Associate Dean, Research (Chair) Dr. Howard FeldmanVice President, Strategic Relations, BC Cancer Agency Dr. Samuel AbrahamExecutive Director, Child and Family Research Institute Dr. Michael O’Shaughnessy (Interim)Assistant Dean, Research, Fraser Health Dr. Sonia SinghPresident, Providence Health Care Research Institute Dr. Robert SindelarAssociate Dean, Graduate & Postdoctoral Education Dr. Peter LeungExecutive Director, VCHRI & Vice President, Research, Vancouver Coastal Health

Dr. Robert McMaster

Assistant Dean, Northern Medical Program Dr. Geoffrey PayneRegional Associate Dean, Vancouver Island Dr. Oscar CasiroAssistant Dean, Research, Southern Medical Program Dr. Chris Fibiger

65APPENDICES

Centre Directors (Academic Year 2012-13)

Representation Name, TitleOffice of the Executive Associate Dean, Research Dr. Howard Feldman, Executive Associate Dean,

Research (Chair)Dr. Michelle Wong, Director

Research CentresBiomedical Research Centre Drs. Kelly McNagny and Fabio Rossi, Interim Co-

Directors (effective December 1, 2012)Brain Research Centre Dr. Max Cynader, DirectorCentre for Blood Research Dr. Edward Conway, DirectorCentre for Health Education Scholarship Dr. Joanna Bates, DirectorCentre for Health Evaluation Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS) Dr. Aslam Anis, DirectorCentre for Health Service and Policy Research Dr. Charlyn Black, Interim Director

Centre for Hip Health and Mobility Dr. Heather McKay, DirectorDr. Karim Khan, Acting Director (until July 1, 2013)

Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT) Drs. Dan Goldowitz and Wyeth Wasserman, Acting Co-Directors

Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) Dr. Clyde Hertzman (deceased Feb 2012)

Dr. Jeannie Shoveller, Director (effective June 2012)

International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) Dr. Wolfram Tetzlaff, Interim DirectorUBC Centre for Disease Control Dr. Robert Brunham, Provincial Executive DirectorUBC James Hogg Research Centre/IHLH Dr. Keith Walley, DirectorVancouver Prostate Centre Dr. Martin Gleave, DirectorW. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics Dr. David Silver, DirectorWomen’s Health Research Institute Dr. Deborah Money, Executive DirectorResearch InstitutesBC Cancer Agency Dr. Samuel AbrahamChild and Family Research Institute Drs. Michael O’Shaughnessy, Executive DirectorInstitute of Mental Health Dr. William Honer, DirectorLife Sciences Institute Dr. Christian Naus, Director (until June 30, 2013)

Dr. Pieter Cullis, Director (effective July 1, 2013)Pacific Parkinson’s Research Institute Dr. Jon Stoessl, DirectorProvidence Health Research Institute Dr. Robert Sindelar, PresidentVancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Dr. Robert McMaster, Executive Director


Appendix C – UBC Faculty of Medicine Graduate Program Students

Graduate Programs Master’s Enrollment PhD EnrollmentAnatomy and Cell Biology* - 1Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (MSc, PhD)

28 39

Experimental Medicine (MSc, PhD) 72 132Health Administration (MHA) 83 -Health Sciences (MHSc) 38 -Master of Rehabilitation Science (MRSc)

51 -

MD/PhD Program - 20Medical Genetics (MSc, PhD) 27 33Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (MSc), ( PhD**)

28 8

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (MSc, PhD)

30 47

Pharmacology and Therapeutics (MSc, PhD)

11 14

Population & Public Health (MSc & PhD)***

35 88

Public Health (MPH) 76 -Rehabilitation Science (MSc, PhD) 18 34Reproductive and Developmental Sciences (MSc, PhD)

16 19

Surgery (MSc) 8 -

Graduate Health Professional Programs Master’s PhD EnrollmentStudent capacity each year†

Total student enrollment††

Audiology and Speech Sciences (MSc, PhD)

35 (12 Audiology, 23 Speech Language Pathology)

70 3

Genetic Counselling (MSc) 6 12 -Physical Therapy (MPT) 80 163††† -Occupational Therapy (MOT) 56†††† 104 -

67APPENDICES

*This program has been closed (no new admissions after August 31, 2009). Currently enrolled students are completing and graduating from the program. There are no new students being admitted.

**The PhD portion of this program has been closed (no new admissions after August 31, 2011). Currently enrolled students are completing and graduating from the program. There are no new students being admitted.

***Formerly known as Health Care and Epidemiology. Graduate students enrolled prior to May 2008 are enrolled in the Health Care and Epidemiology program whereas those enrolled after that time are enrolled in the Population & Public Health program. This change coincides with the establishment of the School of Population and Public Health (received Senate approval in February 2008).

†Refers to the number of students accepted into the program annually.

††Enrollment numbers include students registered in all years of the program; for a 2-year program, the number of students enrolled will tend to be roughly double the student capacity each year.

†††The MPT is a 26-month program and as such the intake cycle leads to a larger census than the program has for any given year (i.e., at certain points during the year there are three cohorts enrolled simultaneously). For the purposes of this report, the total student enrollment is based on the two newest cohorts.

††††The MOT program admits 48 domestic students and up to 8 international students annually. While there are 8 seats available for international students, typically these seats are not filled every year, whereas all domestic seats are filled annually. For this reason, the total student enrollment tends to be less than 112 (i.e., less than double the student capacity each year).

Comments on Graduate Student Enrollment Data

• The graduate student enrollment data is a snapshot of student enrollment in programs administered by the Faculty of Medicine as of November 2013. Numbers fluctuate throughout the entire reporting period due to enrollment and graduation; this report does not include four graduate programs transferred from the College for Interdisciplinary Studies to the Faculty of Medicine in September 2013, which will be included in the 2013-14 report.

• Students enrolled in graduate programs outside of the Faculty of Medicine are not included even though they may have Faculty of Medicine faculty supervisors.

• Many FoM graduate programs are multidisciplinary and not affiliated with a specific department. Trainees in these graduate programs can be affiliated with one of a variety of FoM departments and thus enrollment is reported by program and not department.


Appendix D – UBC Faculty of Medicine International Agreements

Country Partner Institution UBC Unit Level of Agreement

Visiting Student Electives (MDUP)

Status

Bangladesh Centre for Injury Prevention & Research

UBC Faculty of Medicine, SPPH

NO Current

China Capital Medical University (with MIT, Harvard, Karolinska, Massachusetts General Hospital)

UBC Faculty of Medicine, Brain Research Centre

NO Current

China Chongqing Medical University UBC NO CurrentChina Chongqing Medical University/

Chongqing Science & Technology Commission (CSTC)

UBC NO Current

China Fudan University, Shanghai Medical College

UBC Faculty of Medicine

YES Current

China Guangzhou Women and Children’s Health Center, Guangdong


NO Current

China Health Human Resources Development Center (HHRDC), Ministry of Health, China


NO Under renewal

China Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

UBC Faculty of Medicine, ICORD

NO Current

China Peking University, Health Science Centre


YES Current

China Shanghai Pudong New Area Health Bureau


NO Current

China Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission

UBC Faculty of Medicine, Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP)

NO Current

China Sichuan BoXin LaiTe Biotechnology Inc (Chengdu)

UBC Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Blood Research

NO Current

China WHO Shanghai Collaborating Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion


NO Current

China Xi’an Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

UBC Faculty of Medicine, Brain Research Centre

NO Current

China Zhejiang University School of Medicine UBC YES CurrentChina Zhejiang University Medical School

Women’s HospitalUBC Faculty of Medicine Obstetrics & Gynaecology

NO Current

69APPENDICES

Country Partner Institution UBC Unit Level of Agreement

Visiting Student Electives (MDUP)

Status

Ethiopia Gondar University Hospital (GUH), College of Medicine and Health Sciences

UBC Faculty of Medicine, Branch for International Surgery

NO Current

India National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, Bangalore

UBC NO Current

Korea Seoul National University College of Medicine, Dept of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

UBC Faculty of Medicine Psychiatry

NO Current

Saudi Arabia King Saud University’s College of Medicine, Dept of Medical Education

UBC, Ctr of Excellence for Simulation Education and Innovation (CESEI)

NO Current

Saudi Arabia Ministry of Higher Education (rep by Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau, Canada)


NO Current

Sweden Lund University Faculty of Medicine UBC Faculty of Medicine

YES Current

Uganda Makerere University College of Health Sciences


NO Current

United States Johns Hopkins University Centre for American Indian Health (CAIH)


NO Current

Vietnam University of Medicine & Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City (UMP-HCMC)


Potential Current

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med.ubc.ca/research

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