Five faculty members in the Faculty of Medicine have been named Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) in recognition of research excellence in their respective fields.
The chairs – four new appointments and one advancement from Tier 2 to Tier 1 – are valued at $4.3 million. UBC holds the second largest complement of CRC allocations – 186 – at any university in the country.
“The research conducted by Canada Research Chairs — including that of my own at UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health — makes real differences in people’s lives,” says Teresa Liu-Ambrose, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, physical therapist at Vancouver Coastal Health and the newly appointed Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience. “I am honoured to join this group of leading investigators.”
Newly appointed CRCs in the Faculty of Medicine:
Sarah Gray, Canada Research Chair in Integrative Physiology of Diabetes, focuses her research on the link between obesity and diabetes. (More info.) Dr. Gray is an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences and an Assistant Professor in the Northern Medical Program at the University of Northern British Columbia.
Brian Kwon, Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury, focuses on “translation” of discoveries from the laboratory into the clinical setting for individuals with spinal cord injuries, and taking what we learn from human patients and using it to direct and focus scientific research in the laboratory. (More info.) Dr. Kwon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopeadics.
Teresa Liu-Ambrose, Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity, Mobility, Cognitive Neuroscience, focuses her research on understanding how exercise can prevent both neurocognitive and physical decline in older adults. Her work to date has shown that exercise improves both cognitive performance and brain function in older adults (More info.)
Evan Wood, Canada Research Chair in Inner City Medicine, is proposing unique approaches to address substantial health and community concerns in low-income neighbourhoods where poverty, mental illness and drug addiction converge for the betterment of society (More info.) Dr. Wood is a Professor in the Division of AIDS.
CRC advanced from Tier Two ($500,000 over five years) to Tier One ($1.4M over seven years):
Weihong Song, Canada Research Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease, has established a world-class Alzheimer research program and made significant discoveries on how gene expression is regulated and influences Alzheimer’s Disease. He will establish a Canada-China translational medical research program for Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease (More info.) Dr. Song is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry.
The federally funded CRC program was launched in 2000 to build Canada’s research capacity. An investment of $900 million supports the establishment of 2,000 Chairs at universities across the country.