Faculty Spotlight: Ilana Sebbag

April 17, 2026

The Faculty & Trainee Spotlight Series shines a light on the incredible people who make up the heart of UBC Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Amidst the remarkable achievements and developments within the department, it is a pleasure to share the stories of the dynamic trainees and faculty who bring passion, curiosity, and insight that drive the areas of anesthesiology, pharmacology, and therapeutics forward.

Meet Dr. Ilana Sebbag!

Rank: Clinical Associate Professor

Site: BC Women’s Hospital

Dr. Ilana Sebbag began her career in Brazil, where she completed her MD and residency in Anesthesiology at the University of São Paulo. Early in her career, she balanced dual roles as a staff anesthesiologist and a military physician in the Brazilian Air Force, experiences that helped shape both her clinical expertise and sense of purpose. Driven to deepen her subspecialty training, she moved to Canada, where she completed fellowships in Obstetric and Regional Anesthesia at the University of British Columbia.

Her academic path continued at McMaster University, where graduate training in Clinical Epidemiology strengthened her research foundation and sharpened her approach to evidence-based care. Through faculty appointments at Western University and now UBC, Dr. Sebbag has woven together clinical practice in obstetric anesthesia with research leadership, teaching, and mentorship. These experiences have collectively shaped her identity as a clinician-educator and investigator dedicated to advancing maternal–fetal health.

“Teaching is not only about transferring expertise, but about shaping thoughtful, reflective, and humane physicians.”

— Dr. Ilana Sebbag, Clinical Associate Professor, UBC

How did your career path lead you to UBC and to your current position?

My career path has been shaped by a longstanding commitment to obstetric anesthesia and academic medicine. After completing my medical degree and anesthesiology training in Brazil, I pursued fellowship training in obstetric and regional anesthesia at UBC, which first introduced me to the academic and collaborative environment in Canada. I subsequently built my academic career at Western University, where I developed my research program, took on leadership roles in fellowship education and obstetric anesthesia research, and advanced to Associate Professor. Returning to UBC and BC Women’s Hospital felt like a natural progression, bringing together my subspecialty expertise, research focus in maternal–fetal health, and commitment to education within a leading centre for obstetric care.

What have you learned from working with residents and students that has surprised or inspired you?

Working with residents and students has deepened my appreciation for how formative and vulnerable the learning process in medicine can be. In obstetric anesthesia, we care for both mother and baby in time-sensitive, emotionally charged situations. I have learned that, beyond technical skills, learners need psychological safety, validation, and space to reflect.

What has inspired me most is witnessing their growth not only in competence but also in compassion. Debriefing after challenging cases often reveals insight, empathy, and self-awareness that go far beyond clinical knowledge. These moments remind me that teaching is not only about transferring expertise but also about shaping thoughtful, reflective, and humane physicians.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

What I find most rewarding about my work is the privilege of caring for patients during one of the most vulnerable and meaningful moments of their lives. In obstetric anesthesia, we support both mother and baby, often in situations that are urgent and emotionally intense. Being able to relieve pain, provide reassurance, and contribute to a safe delivery is deeply fulfilling.

Equally rewarding is teaching in that environment—watching learners grow in confidence, technical skill, and empathy. Seeing a resident evolve into a thoughtful, compassionate clinician reminds me that our impact extends far beyond a single clinical encounter.

What’s one piece of advice you received early in your career that has stayed with you?

Early in my career, someone told me, “Never give up.” At the time, I did not fully appreciate how often I would need that advice. Moving countries, retraining, rebuilding credentials, facing research setbacks, and balancing professional and personal responsibilities all required resilience. There were moments of doubt and exhaustion, but persistence carried me through.

I learned that growth rarely happens in a straight line—it happens through sustained effort, humility, and the willingness to keep going even when the path feels uncertain. That lesson has shaped not only my career but also how I encourage my trainees when they face their own challenges.

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Research in Focus: Matthew Weins

April 15, 2026

Research in Focus shines a light on the innovative studies and discoveries taking shape across the UBC Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Through each feature, we celebrate the minds driving meaningful change in research, education, and clinical practice across anesthesiology, pharmacology, and therapeutics.

For Dr. Matthew Weins, care doesn’t end at the hospital door—it continues in the communities where patients return.

Over the past 13 years, Dr. Weins has led the development and implementation of a series of studies focused on deriving and validating clinical prediction models for post-discharge mortality among children with sepsis in East Africa. His research has contributed to a growing understanding of how risk can be identified early and acted upon effectively in low-resource settings.

He leads the Smart Discharges digital health research program, an initiative designed to improve patient outcomes by identifying vulnerable individuals and strengthening the transition from facility-based care to community-based support following discharge. Through this work, he aims to ensure that high-risk patients do not fall through the cracks once they leave the hospital.

Building on this foundation, his latest project, REConeCteD: Risk Enhanced Community Care after Discharge, advances a risk-differentiated care approach. By digitally linking facility-based and community-based health systems, the project enables personalized health education and targeted follow-up plans tailored to each patient’s risk profile and co-morbidities—bringing continuity of care beyond the hospital and into the community.

“REConneCteD represents a new model for pediatric care—one that recognizes recovery does not end at the hospital door, but continues in the communities where children and families live, supported by technology that connects all parts of the healthcare system.”

— Dr. Matthew Weins, Assistant Professor; UBC, Researcher; BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute

Meet Matthew Weins!

Site: BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR)

Rank: Assistant Professor; UBC, Researcher; BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute

Dr. Matthew Weins is a global health researcher dedicated to improving sepsis outcomes in resource-limited settings. His work sits at the intersection of clinical epidemiology, prediction modelling, and digital health, where he focuses on developing practical, data-driven solutions to address critical gaps in care.

Dr. Weins spent six years of his training, which included a PhD in Epidemiology at UBC, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at UBC and the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, living and working in Uganda. Immersion in local health systems fostered a deep and continually evolving understanding of the complexity and nuance required to achieve sustainable change in resource-limited settings.

These experiences ultimately shaped his commitment to working within existing systems and workflows. Today, Dr. Weins is driven by a passion for embedding risk-differentiated care approaches into clinical practice, approaches that support more informed decision-making and more effective resource allocation, with the goal of improving outcomes for children with sepsis.

What drew you to this particular research question or problem?

When children in East Africa recover from serious infections and leave the hospital, their journey to full health is far from over. Many of these children face a dangerous period after discharge—they remain at high risk of becoming sick again or even dying from recurring infections. Families encounter numerous barriers to caring for their child at home and are often left to navigate this high-risk period on their own, sometimes with devastating consequences. In countries such as Uganda, there have been concerted efforts to strengthen referral systems and better connect community care to facility-based care; however, the reverse is not true. Once a child is discharged from the hospital, there are often insufficient resources or strategies in place to inform home communities of the need for follow-up care.

How does this project fit into your broader research interests or goals?

The goal of the Smart Discharges and REConneCteD projects is to identify and prioritize children at the highest risk, emphasize the importance of healthy behaviors at home, support timely care-seeking, and maintain connections to the healthcare system. One way this has been facilitated is through the introduction of the electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS)—a mobile application developed by the Ministries of Health in several African countries to digitize community health services.

By digitally linking eCHIS with a child’s electronic health record, REConneCteD helps ensure that the most at-risk children are reconnected with community health workers for follow-up after discharge. It also provides information and education to health workers, community health workers, and caregivers on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood diseases. Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach, the system enables more personalized care, ensuring that children at highest risk receive the greatest attention and resources.

What impact do you hope this work will have on clinical practice, education, or society in general?

REConneCteD represents a new model for pediatric care—one that recognizes recovery does not end at the hospital door, but continues in the communities where children and families live, supported by technology that connects all parts of the healthcare system.

At its core, the program creates a digital bridge between hospitals and community health workers. When a child is discharged, their information and care plan are securely shared with community health workers through connected digital systems, enabling timely and coordinated follow-up.

REConneCteD aims to transform post-discharge care by strengthening community health services, reducing the burden on families who face barriers to accessing follow-up care, and creating feedback loops that help hospitals continuously improve their services. By linking facility- and community-based care through digital tools, the program works to ensure that no child falls through the cracks during the vulnerable period after hospitalization.

What’s one thing you hope people will take away from this work?

The post-discharge period remains an overlooked and highly vulnerable time for children recovering from sepsis. However, by using simple risk-prediction tools, strengthening digital linkages across health systems, connecting patients to existing services, and ensuring comprehensive caregiver counselling, we can go a long way toward improving outcomes for these children.

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Brandon Kohlen and Ryan Loke Awarded Dr. K. Leighton Pharmacology and Therapeutics Graduate Award

April 14, 2026

Congratulations to Brandon Kohlen and Ryan Loke, this year’s recipients of the Dr. K. Leighton Pharmacology and Therapeutics Graduate Award! Each have been awarded $700 through an endowment established by APT professors emeriti in recognition of their outstanding progress and productivity in their studies and careers.

Brandon Kohlen

Brandon is a PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Tillie Hackett.

Patients with systemic sclerosis experience progressive scarring of the skin and vital organs, particularly the lungs, which can lead to respiratory failure and premature death. Brandon’s research investigates platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling in fibroblasts (the key cells responsible for producing scar tissue) to understand why fibroblast processes become dysregulated. By identifying the molecular drivers of fibrosis, he aims to advance more precise therapeutic strategies that can slow disease progression, alleviate patient symptoms, and improve quality of life.

“The Dr. K. Leighton Graduate Award will support my participation in the European Respiratory Society conference, enabling me to share my research and engage with researchers and clinicians working with systemic sclerosis patients.”

Ryan Loke

Ryan Loke is a PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. John (Kip) Kramer. His research investigates how chronic pain reshapes the brain—specifically, how it alters brain structure across multiple chronic pain conditions at a large scale. Currently, he is leading the largest cross-condition neuroanatomical individual participant data meta-analysis in chronic pain to date. Ryan is motivated by the reality that chronic pain is often an invisible condition—one that profoundly affects quality of life yet remains poorly understood and undertreated. He believes that mapping its neuroanatomical signature is a meaningful step toward a better understanding of this pathology.

“This award will support my attendance at the International Association for the Study of Pain 2026 World Congress on Pain in Thailand, where I plan to present findings from my ongoing research and engage with the international pain science community. As I approach the later years of my doctorate, this congress represents a valuable opportunity to disseminate my work, strengthen existing international collaborations, and explore the next steps in my research career.”

Dr. Jason Chui Awarded $250k in Seed Funding for the PRIME Program at VGH

April 7, 2026

Congratulations to Dr. Jason Chui on being awarded $250,000 in seed funding from the VGH Foundation to support the development of the PRIME (Perioperative Research in Brain Integrity, Mental Health, and Engineering) program at Vancouver General Hospital!

Since joining the UBC department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, & Therapeutics, Dr. Chui, an anesthesiologist at VGH and UBC, and recognized researcher and leader in neuroanesthesia, has been actively building new research infrastructure and expanding the department’s work in perioperative neuroscience. Building on the research initiatives and collaborations he developed during his time at Western University, Jason is now leading the development of the PRIME (Perioperative Research in Brain Integrity, Mental Health, and Engineering) program at VGH. This foundational investment will help establish the infrastructure needed to launch several cutting-edge research initiatives within the department.

The PRIME initiative is highly innovative, bringing together advanced technologies and rigorously designed clinical trials to deepen our understanding of perioperative brain health and mental health outcomes following surgery.

Dr. Jason Chui on the PRIME Program

What excites you most about the PRIME program?

I’m incredibly excited to launch the PRIME (Perioperative Research in Brain Integrity, Mental Health, and Engineering) research program at Vancouver General Hospital. This initiative is about bringing together clinical care, neuroscience, and emerging technologies to better understand and protect the brain and mental health of patients undergoing surgery.

What impact do you hope the program will have on perioperative brain and mental health research?

What motivates us most is the opportunity to close the gap between innovation and real-world patient care—developing tools and evidence that can directly improve brain function and mental health in the perioperative setting.

How do you see the program benefiting patients, trainees, or the broader research community?

Through PRIME, we hope to build a collaborative platform that not only advances research but also trains the next generation of clinicians and scientists that ultimately translates into meaningful improvements in patient experience and perioperative outcomes.

Further details about the program and upcoming projects are expected to come out later this year. In the meantime, you may notice colleagues experimenting with Apple Vision goggles or wearing gel in their hair as some of the new technologies are being piloted; indicative of the exciting signs of the advancements being made!

Faculty Spotlight: Katherine Bailey

April 1, 2026

Meet Dr. Katherine Bailey!

Rank: Clinical Associate Professor

Dr. Bailey is a proud graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Science, Faculty of Medicine, and the UBC Anesthesia Residency Program. During her residency, she developed an interest in the perioperative care of critically ill infants and children, which would eventually go on to define her career.

Inspired, she pursued specialized training through Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowships at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital.

For more than two decades, Dr. Bailey has been part of the patient- and family-centred care environment at BC Children’s Hospital, where she has built not only a meaningful career but also a strong sense of community. She remains deeply grateful for the multidisciplinary colleagues who have become her work family and for the opportunity to contribute to care that supports children and their families during critical moments.

“Assisting children in undergoing procedures with less fear and discomfort, and earning the trust their families place in us, is a true privilege few people get to experience.”

— Katherine Bailey, Clinical Associate Professor; UBC

How did your career path lead you to UBC and to your current position?

My fellowship training was a profoundly meaningful professional experience, which eventually led me to become the Fellowship Director at BC Children’s Hospital, a role I have held for the past 11 years. As Fellowship Director, I have been able to advance pediatric anesthesia education and training both locally and nationally.

As a co-author of the successful Royal College application, Pediatric Anesthesia was recognized as an Area of Focused Competency (AFC) on July 1, 2025—the first subspecialty to do so in anesthesia! I have also maintained strong ties with my own fellowship mentors and have helped create and organize the annual Pacific Northwest Pediatric Anesthesia Fellows Bootcamp, in collaboration with the fellowship programs at Seattle Children’s Hospital and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, since 2021!

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

One of the most rewarding aspects of pediatric anesthesia is creating a safe, supportive environment for children experiencing life-altering illnesses and their families. Assisting children in undergoing procedures with less fear and discomfort, and earning the trust their families place in us, is a true privilege few people get to experience.

The changes and improvements in technology, medications, and our understanding of pediatric anesthesia and pain management are exciting to experience firsthand. There is always something new to learn, which keeps our subspecialty interesting to practice. The appreciation we receive from parents, some of whom have had traumatic anesthetic or surgical experiences themselves as children, for helping their children have a better experience is both humbling and rewarding.

What’s one piece of advice you received early in your career that has stayed with you?

The best advice I was given as a trainee was twofold.

The first was to choose something I truly enjoyed, as I would be doing it for a very long time. Despite the sometimes heartbreaking experiences in pediatric anesthesia, the overwhelming sense of joy and positivity is one of the things I love most about our subspecialty. We are constantly striving to find a positive aspect, even in sad or difficult circumstances, and this mindset often carries over from our professional lives into our personal ones.

The second piece of advice was to embrace new experiences. Over the course of an anesthesia career, we are continually learning as medical knowledge evolves, and staying open to growth is essential.

If you weren’t in this field, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

If I hadn’t gone into medicine, I would most likely have become a travel writer. I love travelling overseas with friends and family and experiencing new countries, their people, customs, and cultures in an authentic way.

I have been very fortunate to have travelled a lot as a child, to have participated in overseas medical mission work as a trainee and junior faculty member, and now to have the opportunity to pay that forward by taking my teenage daughters all over the world as they grow up. I am always looking forward to our next adventure!

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Janny Xue Chen Ke

March 30, 2026

Janny Xue Chen Ke

Clinical Assistant Professor

St. Paul’s Hospital

Faculty Bio

Dr. Ke completed her medical school at UBC, anesthesiology residency at Dalhousie University and received a Master of Science in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health. Her research interests include understanding the impact of extreme weather and climate change on perioperative outcomes, predicting and monitoring for complications after surgery at a population level, and use and evaluation of artificial intelligence in clinical research and patient care. She leads the ADAPT Lab, which studies the health impact of emerging environmental hazards, and integrates these insights to improve outcomes and strengthen health system resilience (adaptlab.med.ubc.ca).

Social Media / Lab or Research Website

Website (or Lab):

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/POY-2220-2026

Research Interests

The impact of extreme weather and climate change on perioperative outcomes (ADAPT Lab)
Predicting and monitoring for complications after surgery at a population level
Use and evaluation of artificial intelligence in clinical research and patient care

General Research Interests: Perioperative medicine, climate change, artificial intelligence, epistemology, and data science

Research Theme(s)

Clinical Outcomes and Patient Safety, Equity in Medicine, Evidence-based medicine and knowledge translation, Obstetric anesthesiology, Peri-operative technology integration

Publication Link(s)

ORCID: 0000-0002-3121-9780

Clinical Interests

Perioperative medicine

Services

Anesthesiologist, Department of Anesthesia, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, Canada
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, the University of British Columbia
Adjunct, Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management & Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University

Teaching

In addition to clinical and academic teaching, Dr. Ke runs AnesEd (https://anesed.ca/), an anesthesiology learning resource for medical students and junior residents. She also regularly supervises medical students, residents, and fellows in research.

Research in Focus: Mark Ansermino

March 18, 2026

For over two decades, Dr. Mark Ansermino has been at the forefront of transforming how data is used in medicine bridging engineering, data science, and clinical care to improve outcomes for the most vulnerable patients, particularly infants and children.

Dr. Ansermino’s work began with a focus on biosignal interpretation, pharmacodynamic modelling, and control systems, laying the foundation for a career dedicated to making complex physiological data more meaningful and actionable. With time, this foundation evolved into an internationally recognized research program spanning mobile health technologies, clinical decision-support systems, and scalable digital health platforms used around the world.

Driven by a commitment to impact at the point of care, Dr. Ansermino has led the development of predictive monitoring systems that translate real-time clinical data into insights clinicians can act on immediately. More recently, his work has expanded to address critical global health challenges, including building predictive models for sepsis and pre-eclampsia in low-resource settings, and advancing open-science initiatives that enable collaboration through shared and synthetic datasets.

Beyond his program, he has played a key role in bringing innovation into practice. To name a few, Dr. Ansermino has led the development and commercialization of technologies such as the Phone Oximeter™, Smart QI Prediction Models, pediatric sepsis prediction tools, and closed-loop anesthesia systems.

Across all of his work remains a consistent goal: to improve care quality, efficiency, and patient safety through intelligent, data-driven solutions.

“Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to more equitable health systems and better outcomes for mothers and children worldwide.”

— Dr. Mark Ansermino, Professor; UBC, Executive Medical Director for Global Health; BC Children’s Hospital, Researcher; BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute

Meet Mark Ansermino!

Site: BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR)

Rank/Roles: Professor, Executive Medical Director for Global Health; BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre, Researcher; BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR)

Trained as a clinician-scientist, Dr. Mark Ansermino built his career at the intersection of clinical care, research, and global health. He completed his medical training (MBBCh) and specialization in anesthesia (MMed) at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, before pursuing an MSc in Health Informatics at City University London.

He went on to practice as a pediatric anesthesiologist at BC Children’s Hospital for over two decades, where his clinical experience deeply informed his research and innovation. Today, he serves as the Co-Executive Medical Director of Global Health at BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre, where he focuses on developing equitable, scalable solutions to improve maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes worldwide.

His contributions to interdisciplinary research and healthcare innovation have been widely recognized. He was a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar and received the Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in 2011, as well as the Research Recognition Award from the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society in 2018.

What drew you to this particular research question or problem?

I have always been motivated by problems where better use of data could directly improve patient safety and outcomes. Working in both high- and low-resource settings has reinforced how inequities in access to timely information drive preventable morbidity and mortality. These experiences have drawn me to develop digital tools that are not only technically rigorous, but also practical, scalable, and locally relevant.

What impact do you hope this work will have on clinical practice, education, or society in general?

I hope this work will enable clinicians to make faster, more informed decisions, improve the early detection of critical illness, and support safer, more consistent care. Beyond clinical practice, I aim to strengthen local research capacity and interdisciplinary training, and to advance open-science models that accelerate global collaboration. Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to more equitable health systems and better outcomes for mothers and children worldwide.

What’s one thing you hope people will take away from this study?

That robustly designed digital health technologies, co-created with clinicians and local partners, can meaningfully improve care, even in the most resource-constrained environments.

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Trainee Spotlight: Ines Zuna

March 11, 2026

Meet Ines Zuna!

Role: Anesthesia Resident, PGY-4

Site: UBC Vancouver

Ines Zuna began her journey into medicine through undergraduate and graduate training in pharmacology, where she developed a pharmacokinetics teaching model for healthcare professionals. That early work sparked a deep appreciation for both the intricacy of scientific inquiry and the challenge of translating complex evidence into meaningful clinical impact.

During her medical training, she pursued an MBA, further shaping her interest in leadership, health systems, and the design of strong clinical learning environments. Together, these experiences have come to define her approach to medicine — thoughtful, systems-aware, and grounded in education. They now inform her educational and leadership roles, including her recent service as lead resident and her contributions to national initiatives such as the Pediatric Transfusion Camp, a multidisciplinary curriculum dedicated to supporting safe and effective transfusion practice for pediatric trainees.

“Training has taught me how challenging it can be as a learner to resist the pull of comfort.”

— Ines Zuna, Anesthesia Resident PGY-4, UBC

What areas of research or practice are you most passionate about?

I am most passionate about medical education, particularly curriculum design, assessment, and knowledge translation to support safe clinical decision-making. This work has shaped my interest in patient safety, with a focus on transfusion safety in peri-operative and high-acuity settings. Clinically, I am drawn to complex physiology and collaborative environments where preparation, communication, and systems awareness influence care. I am especially interested in the perioperative setting for its dynamic teamwork and the role of education and leadership in fostering supportive learning environments and improving patient outcomes.

What has surprised you most about your training?

Training has taught me how challenging it can be as a learner to resist the pull of comfort. While it’s tempting to hope for “easy” days, my most meaningful learning experiences have come from moments where I pushed myself intentionally (or unintentionally), into uncertainty. These experiences have shown me that growth rarely happens in ease, and that sustained development requires curiosity, effort, and a willingness to engage deeply with discomfort. It remains challenging, but I believe this approach has made me a stronger, more thoughtful clinician.

What’s a fun fact about you that most people wouldn’t guess?

I was quite shy growing up, and my parents encouraged me to pursue theatre to help me come out of my shell. This sparked a lasting interest in the arts and creative expression, which has had a profound impact on how I communicate and relate to others. I continue to create art and engage in reflective writing to process challenging experiences and reflect on my growth throughout training. Recently, I began exploring poetry, and one of my pieces was accepted into an online medical arts magazine.

What do you enjoy doing outside of the hospital or lab?

Outside of work, I love spending time with my husband, family, and friends. I enjoy traveling and seeking off-the-beaten-path destinations where you can experience a different world away from the crowds. I love hiking and spending time outdoors, and have recently enjoyed hitting up the pickleball courts at Queen Elizabeth Park!

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Faculty Spotlight: Brenda Lau

March 11, 2026

Meet Dr. Brenda Lau!

Rank: Medical Director, Clinical Associate Professor

Brenda Lau completed her anesthesiology residency at UBC in 2004 before traveling to Sydney for a three-year interventional pain fellowship and a Master of Medicine under the mentorship of Professor Michael Cousins. Her thesis, “Future of Multidisciplinary Pain Clinics: Change or Die,” proved to be more than an academic exercise, it became a vision that shaped the trajectory of her career.

After returning to British Columbia, she pursued advanced certification in interventional pain sonology, Gunn IMS, clinical hypnotherapy, and physician quality improvement, continually expanding the scope of her expertise. Today, she serves as Medical Director of Changepain, an 80-member interdisciplinary pain clinic, and has played a pivotal role in shaping the field nationally. Her contributions include helping to establish Canada’s Pain Medicine subspecialty, UBC’s Pain Medicine Residency program, multiple training initiatives, three multidisciplinary clinics, and provincial standards that advance equitable and safe pain care.

“Teaching becomes a shared journey of problem-solving, where breaking through clinical, personal, and system challenges together deepens insight and capacity for meaningful change. ”

— Brenda Lau, Medical Director & Clinical Associate Professor, UBC

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

What I find most rewarding is witnessing breakthroughs in long-standing health gaps, such as women’s health as patients move from feeling dismissed or stuck, to empowered and hopeful. Seeing tangible improvements in brain and body performance confirms the impact of whole-person care. I’m equally driven by helping clinicians overcome regulatory and administrative barriers, reducing burnout, and restoring purpose. Creating innovative solutions that integrate science, creativity, and choice to simplify complex care energizes me. Teaching and learning are constant sources of inspiration, and bringing whole-person care into daily practice—while sharing laughter with patients and teams—makes my work deeply meaningful.

What’s one piece of advice you received early in your career that has stayed with you?

An early piece of advice that stayed with me was simple but profound: words change biology. Neuroscience shows that how we think and speak—before seeing a patient—shapes brain states, and our internal regulation which directly impacts trust, connection and clinical approach. I teach this to clinicians, patients, and leaders. For providers, intentional language restores agency and reduces burnout. For patients, it reduces overwhelm and builds confidence—the true healing stimulus beyond medications or procedures. Health begins with mind mastery, informed by neuroscience and whole-person care, delivered at the point of care—not outsourced—enabling self-regulation, and better outcomes.

What drew you to anesthesiology/pharmacology/therapeutics as a specialty or area of research?

I was drawn to anesthesiology from my very first clinical rotation in medical school. The operating room’s high-stakes environment combining physiology, intensive care, procedures, and real-time leadership felt like home. Anesthesiology’s residency uniquely includes chronic pain training, which proved formative. Mentors across St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH), Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH), Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH), and Prince George Regional Hospital (PGRH) crystallized my lifelong mission that began at the age of 7 to change pain. When I graduated, pain medicine had just emerged as a specialty in Australia. Training there allowed me to integrate clinical, administrative, systems change and health-economic insights, which I brought back to Canada and shaped into my life’s work.

What have you learned from working with residents and students that has surprised or inspired you?

Working with residents and students continually inspires me. They are deeply motivated to improve patient care, themselves, and the systems they work within, yet are rarely taught how to do this. Addressing their internal state is often pivotal. Presence, regulation, and psychological safety unlock curiosity, confidence, and clinical reasoning. Teaching also makes me hyperaware of how my own internal state shapes learning. Simple practices, from breathwork to honest conversations, help learners feel grounded and seen. Teaching becomes a shared journey of problem-solving, where breaking through clinical, personal, and system challenges together deepens insight and capacity for meaningful change.

Learn more about: Changepain & UBC Pain Medicine Residency Program

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Faculty Spotlight: Khaled Abdelrahman

March 11, 2026

Meet Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman!

Rank: Assistant Professor

Dr. Abdelrahman began his academic journey training as a pharmacist, where an early curiosity about how drugs act at the mechanistic level sparked a deeper interest in pharmacology. This curiosity led him to pursue an MSc in Pharmacology, followed by a PhD at the University of Calgary, where his research focused on vascular and metabolic disease. He then completed postdoctoral training at the University of Ottawa, shifting his focus toward neurodegenerative disease. Over the past decade, Dr. Abdelrahman’s growing fascination with the brain and its complexity has shaped the direction of his research program toward neuropharmacology.

Now, he is an Assistant Professor in the department and a member of the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health.

“Watching them [trainees] develop their skills, tackle challenges, and achieve their goals brings me genuine satisfaction. Their growth and success are a constant reminder of the value of mentorship and the importance of supporting the next generation of scientists.”

— Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman, Assistant Professor, UBC

How did your career path lead you to UBC and to your current position?

During my graduate training, I became deeply interested in understanding the interactions between the brain and its blood vessels and how their function becomes dysregulated in disease conditions. This later expanded into a broader interest in brain biology and neurodegeneration, which descended into the focus of my postdoctoral fellowship.

These experiences shaped my current research program, which integrates both areas to investigate how impaired brain blood flow contributes to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. This integrated perspective makes my research program at UBC unique and positions it well for collaboration with researchers interested in approaching brain disease from a similar angle.

What drew you to anesthesiology/pharmacology/therapeutics as a specialty or area of research?

I was drawn to pharmacology out of the curiosity to understand how drugs work, how existing therapies can be improved, and how novel and effective therapeutics can be developed. I became particularly interested in G protein–coupled receptors because of their wide distribution throughout the body and their essential roles across nearly all aspects of human biology, as well as their strong druggability, with at least 35% of approved drugs targeting G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). In my laboratory, I leverage this versatility by integrating GPCR physiological importance with therapeutic potential to identify novel targets and strategies aimed at slowing the progression of neurodegenerative disease.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

What I find most rewarding about my work is the process of discovery, particularly the creativity involved in designing experiments to address complex research questions and the unexpected results that often lead us in new and unanticipated directions. This process makes the work deeply fulfilling. Equally rewarding is mentoring talented trainees. Watching them develop their skills, tackle challenges, and achieve their goals brings me genuine satisfaction. Their growth and success are a constant reminder of the value of mentorship and the importance of supporting the next generation of scientists.

What’s one piece of advice you received early in your career that has stayed with you?

One piece of advice I received early in my career from my supervisor was, “Data is data — no matter what it looks like, it’s telling you something.” I learned not to try to make results fit a preconceived hypothesis, but instead to let the science guide the next question. That perspective helped me view unexpected or negative findings as exciting opportunities rather than disappointments. This mindset continues to shape how I approach research and mentor trainees, encouraging them to stay curious, think critically, and follow the evidence wherever it leads — which is often the key to groundbreaking discoveries.

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