Bruce Verchere
Four faculty members were honoured by the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) with Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medals:
Bruce Verchere, a Professor in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, is the Head of the Diabetes Research Program at the Child and Family Research Institute (CFRI), and the inaugural Irving K Barber Chair in Diabetes Research at UBC. His research has focused on how insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas function and why they are killed or are dysfunctional in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and in transplanted islets.
Dr. Verchere is a Senior Scholar of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (2006) and was awarded the Canadian Diabetes Association Young Scientist Award (2006).
Daniel Metzger, a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and a Clinical Investigator at CFRI, has focused on the development, prevention and treatment of type 1 diabetes in children.
Daniel Metzger
He is also a Pediatric Endocrinologist at the BC Children’s Hospital and the Medical Director of Camp Kakhamela, the Canadian Diabetes Association’s summer camp for children living with diabetes in British Columbia.
David Miller, a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, is the Site Director at Royal Jubilee Hospital for the UBC Division of Endocrinology.
Kwang Yang, a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Practice, is the founder and president of a number of associations, including the B.C. Hepatitis B Society, the Canadian Health Awareness Society and the Pacific Chinese Culture Society of Canada. He also sits as a member of Canadian Diabetes Association Vancouver’s Chinese Advisory Committee.
“These medal recipients demonstrate a true dedication to making a difference in the lives of the more than nine million Canadians who live with diabetes or prediabetes,” says Doug Macnamara, President and CEO of the Canadian Diabetes Association. “On behalf of the Association, I would like to congratulate all recipients for their tremendous contributions to the diabetes community and express our sincere appreciation for all who were nominated.”
The Diamond Jubilee Medal Program was created by the Government of Canada to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne as the Queen of Canada. Members of the general public were asked to nominate individuals for the medal program, which is administered by the Chancellery of Honours, as part of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General.