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. 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.