Gord McInnes

Gord McInnes

Participate in the Vancouver Pride Parade

Join UBC’s Queer Faculty and Staff Collective (QFSC) at the 2024 Vancouver Pride Parade on Sunday, August 4.

QFSC has successfully received a spot in the 2024 parade, and invites all UBC 2SLGBTQIA+ members to get involved. Join the organizing committee or sign up to walk in the parade. Every participant will receive a #UBCPRIDE t-shirt.

Province of B.C. adopts amended Land Use Plan for the UBC Vancouver Campus

Become a UBCV Workplace Wellbeing Ambassador

UBC Vancouver faculty and staff, help embed wellbeing in your team by becoming a Workplace Wellbeing Ambassador.

The Workplace Wellbeing Ambassador Program (WWA) is designed to promote and enhance a culture of health and wellbeing within UBC. WWAs play a vital role in championing health and wellbeing for their departments and among their peers, with support and resources from the Workplace Wellbeing team and opportunities for professional development.

This year’s Workplace Wellbeing Ambassador (WWA) cohort will begin on September 1, 2024. Apply by 5 pm on Monday, August 19.

UBC Okanagan WWA applications open in 2025.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology: Department Head Candidate presentation

Join the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for an online presentation by the shortlisted candidate for the Department Head position.

Contact med.searchesandreviews@ubc.ca to register.


  • Presentation and Vision Statement: Quo vadis BMB?
    • Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2024 from 1:30 pm
    • Location: Online via Zoom

Precision Health Catalyst Grant Competition

Applications are now open for the 2024 Precision Health Catalyst Grant Competition.

Offered as part of the Faculty of Medicine’s Precision Health initiative, the catalyst grants are intended to enable precision health pilot research projects, to encourage new collaborations among faculty members and researchers from UBC-affiliated research institutes, and to support early career researchers and teams.

Up to four grants will be awarded in the 2024 round, at a maximum of $50,000 each. The primary applicant must be an early career researcher. Please contact fom.precisionhealth@ubc.ca with any questions.

Apply by Monday, September 30, 2024.

Postdoctoral Exchange Travel Award: NTU LKCMedicine

Postdoctoral fellows are invited to apply for the NTU LKCMedicine & UBC Faculty of Medicine Postdoctoral Exchange Travel Award.

Offered in partnership with the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine in Singapore, this travel award aims to promote the co-development of research capabilities and foster long-lasting collaborations between the institutions. Successful applicants will receive funding to travel to the host institution and engage in collaborative research for four to six months.

Applications are being accepted on an ongoing basis. If you have questions or would like assistance finding a collaborator at NTU, contact Ashleen Shadeo at ashleen.shadeo@ubc.ca.

MDUP Awards Subcommittee — Terms of Reference

Purpose and Authority

The purpose of this subcommittee is to:

  • Review and adjudicate applications for internal MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP) awards to determine awardees
  • Review and adjudicate UBC MD student applicants for external or UBC awards requiring Faculty nominations and provide endorsement of select applicants to proceed to the next round of adjudication.
  • Ensure that awards are adjudicated and distributed in accordance with the University of British Columbia Senate Policies, in an equitable and inclusive manner.
  • Provides an annual summary of award funding to the UGME Committee (UGMEC)

Composition

This subcommittee is made up of ex officio and appointed members.

The Faculty of Medicine’s commitment to equitable and diverse membership on its committees, subcommittees, and advisory councils guides its nomination and selection process.

Non-Voting Members

Ex officio

  • Student Financial Assistance Officer (SFAO), MDUP (1)

Voting Members

Appointed

  • Faculty member from the Island Medical Program (1)
  • Staff member from the Island Medical Program (1)
  • Faculty member from the Northern Medical Program (1)
  • Staff member from the Northern Medical Program (1)
  • Faculty member from the Southern Medical Program (1)
  • Staff member from the Southern Medical Program (1)
  • Faculty member from the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program (1)
  • Staff member from the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program (1)

Appointment Process

Ex officio member is a member by virture of their administrative appointment.

Faculty members will be appointed by the appropriate site Regional Associate Deans. Staff members will be appointed by the appropriate MDUP Regional Administrative Director.

Voting Membership criteria include:

  1. Current and continuing engagement with students for at least two years
  2. No involvement in confidential student advising due to possible awareness of individual student circumstances and financial issues.

Term

The ex officio member will remain a member as long as they hold their administrative appointment.

Appointed members are members for a two-year term and are eligible for renewal.

Chair

Chaired by the Student Financial Assistance Officer, MDUP.

Meeting Schedule and Administration

  1. Meets virtually approximately two times per year or at the call of the chair to review student applications and determine nominees.
  2. Requires maintenance around applicant information and awardees.
  3. Reviews terms of reference every two years and the general student award application process and make recommended changes to Undergraduate Medical Education Committee (UGMEC) for approval.
  4. Records will be maintained in accordance with the UBC and Faculty of Medicine records retention procedures.

Quorum and Decision-Making Process

Quorum for meetings includes the Student Financial Assistance Officer (SFAO), and at least one representative (staff or faculty) from each of the four regional program sites.

Quorum is required for all meetings. Some situations may allow for decisions to be made via e-mail communications and e-vote of all subcommittee members.

Prior to adjudication meetings, the MDUP Awards Subcommittee members will be provided with each candidate’s application package and will be asked to rank them. During the adjudication meeting, the Subcommittee members will discuss the rankings and determine the successful recipient(s) of the award. In the event that the Subcommittee members cannot come to an agreement, the candidates will be forwarded to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) Program for the final decision.

For awards where the Faculty of Medicine or the MD Undergraduate program is asked to collect applications and nominate an awardee (e.g., the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award or the Medical Council of Canada Awards), the Vice Dean, Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine will review the MDUP Awards Subcommittee’s nomination and endorse prior to submission.

Lines of Accountability and Communication

This Subcommittee is delegated the authority to make final award disbursal decisions by, and is accountable to, the UGMEC.

Responsibilities

  1. The Subcommittee’s responsibilities include:
    • Accepting MD student applications for awards and any external awards requiring Faculty nominations based on particular criteria;
    • Reviewing MD student applications and evaluating their merits as they relate to the criteria set out in the relevant award’s description;
    • Selecting the successful applicants after careful consideration; and,
    • Protecting the confidentiality of student information throughout this process.
    • Reviews its terms of reference on an annual basis and recommends updates to the UGMEC.
  2. The Subcommittee’s principles include:
    • Mitigating opportunities for member bias by identifying any potential conflict of interest and recusing said member from the voting process for that specific award;
    • Nominating the best applicant based on the strength of their application and supporting documents without regard for the applicant’s site, past award activity, or any information unless otherwise specified in award;
    • Confidentiality of all discussions which take place during the adjudication process with any person not on the Subcommittee;
  3. The SFAO’s responsibilities to the Subcommittee and students include:
    • Organizing and chairing committee meetings;
    • Maintaining an up-to-date list of merit awards and making said list available to students and Committee members;
    • Informing students about relevant external awards including application procedures and important dates;
    • Maintaining up-to-date application forms and procedures, including important dates, and making said forms and information available to students and Committee members;
    • Collecting student applications for merit awards and relevant external awards;
    • Making copies of student applications available to Subcommittee members;
      Where awards solely based on financial need are concerned, the SFAO will gather documentation that prove the applicant’s unmet financial need and will award funds accordingly to students who demonstrate the highest need.
    • Submitting award nominations to the appropriate parties and confirming the reception and processing of said nominations; and,
  4. Protecting the confidentiality of student information throughout this process.

Approval

This version of these terms of reference has been approved by the Undergraduate Medical Education Committee (UGMEC) on July 15th, 2024.

Version History

Approved by the UGMEC on July 15th, 2024

Dr. Naveed Janjua appointed Director, University of British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (UBC CDC)

A message from Robert McMaster, Vice Dean, Research and Jat Sandhu, Chief Strategy Officer, BC Centre for Disease Control.


We are pleased to share that Dr. Naveed Janjua has been appointed Director of the University of British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (UBC CDC), effective to August 31, 2029.

Dr. Janjua is a clinical professor in the School of Population and Public Health and an epidemiologist at the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), where he has also served as Executive Director of Data and Analytic Services. His research interests include the study of infectious diseases with a focus on hepatitis B and C and COVID-19. He also leads Hepatitis Education Canada, a program that develops culturally and linguistically sensitive hepatitis C education resources for the population, hepatitis patients and health care providers.

Dr. Naveed Janjua

In his role as Director of the UBC CDC, Dr. Janjua will provide strategic leadership, with a focus on building collaborations and strengthening funding opportunities and support to enable investigators to continue producing high-impact research that advances public health and disease control and prevention. Dr. Janjua will also focus on enhancing support for current and future scientists, including the development of mentorship and training opportunities for Indigenous researchers and examination of systems to support Indigenous and racialized scientists and other underrepresented groups.

Dr. Janjua’s appointment follows the leadership of Dr. David Patrick from 2020 to 2023. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Dr. Patrick, who was instrumental in establishing a strong COVID-19 research program that helped to inform B.C.’s emergency health response while maintaining the strengths of UBC CDC’s existing research programs.

Please join us in thanking Dr. Patrick and congratulating Dr. Janjua on his new role.

Faculty Research Awards — call for nominations

Nominations are now open for the annual UBC Faculty Research Awards, including the Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship. These awards acknowledge research excellence across all disciplines at UBC.

Application process for 2024:

  • Submit an Expression of Intent by September 16 (not requested for the Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship).
  • Final submissions for all awards must be made online by November 15.

For further information, consult the awards FAQs or contact research.prizes@ubc.ca.


This call for nominations was shared by UBC Bulletin on July 17.