September 15, 2022
Michael Smith Health Research BC’s funding for 71 researchers through the 2022 Scholar and Research Trainee competitions will help develop, attract and retain BC’s best and brightest health researchers and support the advancement of world-class health research in BC.
Funding includes 16 awards to UBC faculty members through the Scholar Program and 36 awards to UBC research trainees to support health research at UBC and its affiliated health research institutions.
The Scholar and Research Trainee Programs specifically support BC’s next generation of health researchers. This year’s awardees are investigating diverse research areas including: community-based health projects guided by Indigenous approaches to health and research in BC’s interior; interventions to reduce overdose during dual public health emergencies; supports for older adults with cancer; access to breastfeeding support in BC; and, mental health for men through social connection.
The Scholar Program supports early-career health researchers who are building leading-edge health research programs, training the next generation of scientists and expanding their potential to make significant contributions to their field.
The Research Trainee Program supports health researchers in the training phase of their research career to enable career development and enrich BC’s health research talent.
Read the Health Research Bc announcement
UBC Funding recipients
Health Research bc Scholars
- Adi Steif (Medical Genetics)
Single cell methods for characterizing genomic alterations in cancer
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre
- Anil Maharaj (Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Development of an ex-vivo-in-silico framework to inform medication use decisions for breastfeeding women
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Braden Te Hiwi (Community, Culture and Global Studies, UBCO)
Indigenous community-based health research in British Columbia's interior
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Brittany Bingham (Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity)
Drawing on decolonizing and intersectional research approaches to inform action for health equity and reproductive justice among Indigenous women, Two-Spirit and gender diverse people
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Vancouver Coastal Health, Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity
- Carl de Boer (School of Biomedical Engineering)
Using high-throughput experiments and machine learning to understand the role of non-coding mutations in cancer
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Dena Shahriari (School of Biomedical Engineering)
Light and drug delivery coupled with biomaterials to improve motor function after spinal cord injury in animal models
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Geoffrey Schiebinger (Math)
Towards a mathematical theory of development
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Jessica Dennis (Medical Genetics)
Genomic mechanisms underlying the prenatal and early childhood origins of mental illness in children
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Kristen Haase (Nursing)
Generating, co-creating, and implementing solutions and supports for older adults with cancer and their caregivers
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Ly Vu (Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Post-transcriptional regulation of hematopoietic stem cell function during normal and malignant hematopoiesis
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Cancer Vancouver, University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Maria Tokuyama (Microbiology)
Immunomodulatory effects of endogenous retroviruses in infection and inflammation
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Marianne Vidler (Obstetrics and Gynaecology)
Optimal pregnancy and postpartum health for everyone
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Ramon Klein Geltink (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
The links between nutrient sensing, cell intrinsic metabolism and T cell function in immune-related diseases
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Sarah Kraeutner (Psychology, UBCO)
Examining motor imagery-related brain function in health and after stroke to leverage its prescription
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus
- Stephanie Sellers (Cardiology)
Valvular heart disease and bioprosthetic heart valves: Defining mechanisms of degeneration and therapeutic discovery from bedside to bench
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
- Ying Wang (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine)
Targeting efferocytosis to reduce risk of cardiovascular events
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
View all 2022 Scholar award recipients and Project Descriptions
Health Research bc Research Trainees
- Alberto Delaidelli
Medulloblastoma plasma membrane proteomics to inform optimal immunotherapy design
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Cancer Research Centre
- Alexandra Kent
Advancing anti-colonial implementation science and knowledge translation with the xacqanal itkinil (Many Ways of Working on the Same Thing) research team
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Interior Health Authority, University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus, Ktunaxa Nation Council
- Amanda Butler
Transforming prisons and improving health outcomes for people who use drugs: An evaluation of BC's prison-based therapeutic community
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Anne-Sophie Archambault
Regulation of anabolic metabolism in anti-tumour T cells
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Ashok Narasimhan
Sex specific characterization of microRNAs in fibroadipogenic progenitors in cancer cachexia
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Carly Magee
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to adequate care for serious mental disorders in British Columbia
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Codie Primeau
Pain and healthcare experiences of sex and gender minority citizens living with chronic pain in Canada
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia, Arthritis Research Canada (ARC)
- Daniel Marinescu
The association of genetic risk factors with morphology and outcomes in interstitial lung disease
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Vancouver Coastal Health, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
- Efthymios Kyriakis
Cryo-EM studies of activators and inhibitors of KCNQ1 and KCNQ1:KCNE1 channel complexes
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Farhia Kabeer
Predictive biomarkers for ovarian cancer treatment: Analysis of patient of derived xenografts under treatment at single cell resolution
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Cancer
- Gillian Goobie
Air pollution as a modulator of molecular, structural, and clinical outcomes in patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
- Haoning Cen
Proteome-wide mechanisms of hyperinsulinemia and sucrose-induced, tissue-specific insulin resistance
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Haoyu Deng
Cholesteryl ester transfer protein-mediated regulation of HDL cholesterol levels and clinical outcomes in sepsis
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
- Jesse Charlton
Exploration through movement variability: How does the presence of pain affect the movement variability-adaptation process of walking?
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Jia Zhao
A novel stem cell model for human islet development and cytoarchitecture
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Jordan Hamden
In vitro diagnostics for frontotemporal dementia
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Justin Andrushko
The relationship between the cortico-reticulospinal tract and motor function in stroke survivors
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Kotaro Suzuki
Evaluating the role and therapeutic value of Asparagine Endopeptidase (AEP) in prostate cancer
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Vancouver Prostate Centre
- Kwangjin Park
Roles of the Lysine Methyl Transferase (KMT) 2d in hepatocyte identity and hepatocellular carcinoma progression
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Cancer Research Centre
- Mahsa Khalili
Multimodal characterization and classification of bio-signals to predict cardiac arrest
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Vancouver General Hospital, Centre for Hip Health and Mobility (CHHM)
- Marek Budzynski
Mitotic bookmarking by transcription factors as a mechanism of transcriptional memory
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Matteo Ponzano
Impact of a combined exercise and counselling intervention on mental health in people with spinal cord injury who live with chronic pain: A psychobiological approach
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus, University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Megan Rowland
The role of Baf53b in regulating neuronal gene expression and autism behaviours across development
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Michael Asamoah-Boaheng
Determination of the optimal SARS-CoV-2 vaccination strategy to achieve a robust and long-lasting immune response
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcome Sciences (CHEOS), University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus, St. Paul's Hospital
- Michael Tymko
The role of the innate immune system in hypoxic ischemic brain injury post cardiac arrest
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Vancouver General Hospital
- Olivia De-Jongh González
Unravelling the complexity of familial influences that shape children's obesity-related behaviors over time
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Paul Sharp
Buddy Up for men's mental health: Engaging men through mutual help and social connection
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Sarah Wu
Making room at the table: Understanding the mealtime experiences of racialized residents and their families in long-term care
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver Campus
- Stephen Milne
Dissecting heterogeneity in COPD: A functional imaging-guided-omics study
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
- Sze Lok Fan
Improving access to breastfeeding support in British Columbia: Needs assessment of a virtual health intervention
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus
- Thais Carrilho
Defining optimal pregnancy weight gain ranges for Canadian women
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Tiev Miller
Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation for treating neurogenic bladder dysfunction following spinal cord injury
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD)
- Tineke Dineen
Scaling-up a community-based diabetes prevention program: A longitudinal matrixed multiple case study to examine implementation context
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: University of British Columbia
- Yashodani Pillay
Smart Discharges for Mom+Baby: Saving mother-newborn dyads by developing a predictive risk model to identify vulnerable dyads and guide delivery of post-discharge care
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Children's & Women's Health Centre of British Columbia
- Yasir Mohamud
Innate immune mechanisms of viral myocarditis: Role of the cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
- Yusi Miao
Advanced multi-functional in vivo retinal imaging for ocular oncology
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Research Location: Vancouver General Hospital
View all 2022 Research trainee award recipientS and Project Descriptions