Karin Humphries, Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiology, and Leonard Foster, Professor and Head of the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, have been awarded the 2018 Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Researcher Awards.
The awards will be presented at Building the Future: Faculty of Medicine Research Trainee Day & Lecture Series on Friday, May 3, 2019 at the Paetzold Lecture Theatre and Atrium at Vancouver General Hospital. This event is open to all faculty members, trainees, and staff.
Dr. Karin Humphries, the UBC-Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Professor in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and the inaugural Scientific Director of the BC Centre for Improved Cardiovascular Health, was recognized for her outstanding clinical research to improve health outcomes of populations.
Dr. Humphries has dedicated her life to cardiovascular research that aims to improve patient outcomes and close the gender gap. Most recently, Dr. Humphries was awarded a CIHR grant to conduct a pan-Canadian randomized clinical trial to evaluate sex differences in biomarker thresholds for diagnosing a myocardial infarction. This research has the potential to improve the care and outcomes for all women at risk of heart disease.
“UBC is one of the world’s top research universities,” she said. “To have my research in the Faculty of Medicine recognized with this award is truly an honour and a privilege.”
To have my research in the Faculty of Medicine recognized with this award is truly an honour and a privilege.
Karin Humphries
An avid spokesperson for and expert in the area of women’s cardiovascular health, Dr. Humphries speaks in patient group meetings and media interviews, and has co-authored more than 200 peer reviewed publications. She was a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) Scholar and received both the CIHR New Investigator Award and the MSFHR Career Investigator Award. She has previously received a UBC Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement Award and is a Fellow of the American Heart Association.
Dr. Leonard Foster, an international leader in the area of proteomics and system biology, was recognized for his outstanding basic science research in the areas of health and life sciences. His research dissects the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis employed by bacteria that cause human disease, as well as our host immune response to these pathogens.
“I am honoured to receive this award from my colleagues but it is critical to acknowledge that I am only receiving this as the representative of the many people who I have worked with in my laboratory over the years,” he said. “Their dedication and passion for science have been and will be my constant inspiration.”
Both individually and through strategic collaborations with other researchers, Dr. Foster’s work has led to a number of notable discoveries. Most significant is an early-stage vaccine against chlamydia, the most common sexually transmitted infection and the leading cause of infertility in North America.
It is critical to acknowledge that I am only receiving this as the representative of the many people who I have worked with in my laboratory over the years.
Leonard Foster
Dr. Foster has mentored a large cohort of trainees, most of whom have continued their careers in science. Prior to his current position as the Head of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, he was Director of the Centre for High-Throughput Biology. He currently serves as the Canada Foundation for Innovation Advisor to the Vice-President of Research. Dr. Foster has been a MSFHR Scholar and the Canada Research Chair in Quantitative Proteomics. He has also received a Killam Research Prize, the Ken Standing Award for Technological Development in Proteomics and the Life Sciences BC Award for Excellence in Genomics.
Dr. Foster will present a lecture on “Growing up with science: basic to applied research in honey bees and humans” on Friday, May 3 at 10:00 am at Building the Future: Faculty of Medicine Research Trainee Day & Lecture Series.