Five faculty members were newly appointed or renewed as Canada Research Chairs (CRCs). The Faculty of Medicine chairs are among 15 newly appointed or renewed CRCs at UBC announced on November 14.
Newly appointed CRCs in the Faculty of Medicine:
Jason Barton, Chair in Human Vision and Eye Movement
Professor in the Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine
Dr. Barton is interesting in studying high-level visual processing and the cognitive control of eye movements. His research will increase our understanding of the functional and anatomical basis of perceptual dysfunction in neurological disorders and the impact of visual rehabilitation.
Linda Li, Chair in Patient-oriented Knowledge Translation
Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy
Dr. Li’s research will look at how people make treatment decisions and manage their health and how they communicate with health professionals. She plans to use this information to develop user-friendly digital media tools to help people with chronic disease manage their health.
Sohrab Shah, Chair in Computational Cancer Genomics
Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Dr. Shah is studying breast and ovarian cancers to uncover the mutations that underpin disease progression, chemotherapeutic resistance, and metastatic spread. This research will provide important direction for new therapies and diagnostics in these diseases.
Don Sin, Chair in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Professor in the Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine
Dr. Sin is working to develop a simple blood test that can be used in a doctor’s office to predict which chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients will have a “lung attack” and which patients will not. He also is working to develop a simple blood test to diagnose lung attacks in their earliest stages (before the onset of a full blown attack). These blood tests will help doctors to treat and prevent full blown lung attacks from taking place, so patients can be treated at home and thus reduce the number of patients having to seek emergency care at hospitals.
Renewed CRC appointment in the Faculty of Medicine:
Susanne Clee, Chair in Genetics of Obesity and Diabetes
Assistant Professor in the Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
We are currently facing epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Once thought to be adult diseases, these are now being seen in children. Inherited (genetic) factors strongly affect the risk of an individual developing these diseases, but we do not yet know what most of these genes are. This research program seeks to identify these genetic factors. By determining what these genes are, we can understand how they affect the development of obesity or diabetes. This will help us uncover new means of treating these diseases to improve human health and lessen their impact on the health care system.