Faculty of Medicine members Dr. John Cairns and Dr. Cheryl Holmes are the recipients of the 2021-2022 UBC Alumni Builder Award.
The Alumni Builder Award recognizes alumni who have significantly contributed to the university and enriched the lives of others.
Dr. John Cairns, MD’68
Dr. Cairns, a professor in the department of medicine’s division of cardiology, was dean of the faculty of medicine from 1996 to 2003. He led efforts, in conjunction with UBC and two provincial governments, to conceptualize, secure the funding for, and establish university partnerships to enable the doubling of medical student enrollment centered at UBC but distributed throughout the province.
In 2020, Dr. Cairns co-authored Dreamers, Skeptics, and Healers, outlining the first 70 years of the faculty of medicine. The book features numerous alumni and the Medical Student & Alumni Centre, and has brought together alumni to celebrate the Faculty’s history.
Dr. Cheryl Holmes, MD’84
Dr. Cheryl Holmes is a clinical professor in the department of medicine. She is also the associate dean, undergraduate medical education and head of the division of critical care medicine. She has practiced medicine for more than 30 years, first as a full-care family physician and then as an intensivist/critical care physician.
Dr. Holmes has played an instrumental role in the development of the Southern Medical Program based at UBC Okanagan and serves as an exceptional preceptor and mentor for countless students and residents.