UBC President Santa Ono tours the Eye Care Centre at VGH. Photo credit: Kerry Blackadar
On August 29 — marking the start of his third week in office — UBC President Santa Ono journeyed off campus to explore cutting-edge research being led by UBC researchers based at the Eye Care Centre and ICORD (International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries), both located on the Vancouver General Hospital campus off Broadway at Willow Street in Vancouver.
Accompanied by the Faculty of Medicine’s Deborah Money, the Executive Vice Dean, and Robert McMaster, the Executive Associate Dean, Research, Dr. Ono started with a visit to the Eye Care Centre, which supports the restoration of vision for many British Columbians.
While at the Centre, the President met with David Maberley, Head of UBC’s Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, and Joanne Matsubara, a Professor within the Department, to get a closer look at some of the innovative approaches underway to treat vision loss.
As a medical researcher specializing in the immune system, eye inflammation and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Dr. Ono is no stranger to the field of visual sciences — or to the Eye Care Centre.
“It’s very nostalgic for me to be visiting the Eye Care Centre — I was here about 11 years ago to deliver a lecture. To have the opportunity to meet with individuals who I have respected for a very long time, and who will be my colleagues moving into the future is exhilarating,” said Dr. Ono, donning a blue bowtie while touring the Centre’s clinical, surgical, educational, and research spaces.
David Maberley (left), Head of UBC’s Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, showcases the Research Wet Lab at VGH’s Eye Care Centre. Photo credit: Kerry Blackadar
UBC’s Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, consistently ranked in the top three Canadian ophthalmology departments for research productivity, is also home to the Centre for Macular Research, part of VGH’s Eye Care Centre.
As the only one of its kind in Canada, the Centre for Macular Research’s interdisciplinary scholars are dedicated to translating discoveries made in the lab to new treatments and cures for patients with AMD, a leading cause of blindness.
Dr. Ono praised the Centre for its efforts in basic science and clinical research, and commitment to advancing knowledge that will lead to new treatments for AMD, such as gene therapy, stem cell treatments and pharmaceuticals.
Monday’s visit represented an opportunity for Dr. Maberley and Dr. Matsubara — the Assistant Director of the Centre for Macular Research, who is using gene therapy and immunology to prevent AMD before it leads to vision loss — to engage with UBC’s President and explore their overlapping areas of research.
Dr. Ono and his team of researchers are working to develop a blood test that could identify biomarkers in people who are progressing toward macular degeneration.
After wrapping up his tour of the Eye Care Centre, Dr. Ono headed to ICORD — a world-leading, interdisciplinary research centre focused on the development and translation of strategies to improve the quality of life after spinal cord injury (SCI).
Located at Vancouver General Hospital in the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, ICORD is supported by UBC’s Faculties of Medicine and Science, the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, as well as the Rick Hanson Foundation-funded Blusson Integrated Cures Partnership.
ICORD’s Director, Wolfram Tetzlaff and Communications and Administrative Manager, Cheryl Niamath toured Dr. Ono through the centre’s various Discovery Science labs, where research on wound health, neuropathic pain, and cardiovascular health following SCI is conducted.
Left to right: Cheryl Niamath, Robert McMaster, Deborah Money, Santa Ono, Wolfram Tetzlaff, Tania Lam and Megan Brousseau at ICORD. Photo credit: Kerry Blackadar
“To be here at ICORD — at the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre — is very exciting because it’s the preeminent centre in the world. It has such a profound impact on individuals who really need cutting-edge research and treatment regiments, which are being pioneered here at UBC.”
Dr. Ono also visited the Human Locomotion lab and rehabilitation gym, where he received a demonstration of ICORD’s Variable-Assist wearable bionic suit from Ekso Bionics. The suit — which enables people with even complete paralysis to walk again — is being used by researchers at ICORD to study gait and postural control, and investigate the potential benefits of using the suit for rehabilitation after SCI.
Before leaving, Dr. Ono paid a visit to ICORD’s Physical Activity Research Centre (PARC), a community-based research facility that provides opportunities for those with spinal cord injuries to participate in research on exercise and physical activity.
Since starting his position as the 15th President and Vice-Chancellor of UBC, Dr. Ono has not only demonstrated a passion for connecting with the university’s many students and staff, but also its researchers.
“One of the most compelling reasons I was drawn to UBC was the depth and breadth of its academic research, and I am deeply committed to advancing that research by working collaboratively with some of the world’s leading scholars,” Dr. Ono says.
During his second day on the job on August 16, he met with students and scientists during the Centre for Blood Research’s annual Research Day, where he recalled his days as a young scientist.
Explore more photo highlights of the President’s visit to the Eye Care Centre and ICORD.