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 James Taylor!
Role: Anesthesia Resident, PGY-3
Location: UBC Vancouver
With no family background in medicine and limited early exposure to the field, James knew he wanted firsthand experience in a healthcare setting before committing to what he understood would be a lifelong pursuit. After graduating from McGill with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, he came across an opportunity to work as an anesthesia research assistant at BC Women’s Hospital. Over the next two years, this role immersed him in clinical medicine, affirming his decision to pursue a career in healthcare. Ironically, despite exploring the wide range of specialties and keeping an open mind throughout medical school, anesthesia ultimately felt like the calling that had been there all along.
Now an Anesthesia Resident (PGY-3) at UBC Vancouver, James is currently serving as the lead resident for BC Women’s Hospital for the 2026 academic year.
“The limited opportunity to spend meaningful time with patients in many other specialties only reinforced my decision to pursue anesthesia, where I was drawn to the one-on-one, undivided attention anesthesiologists are able to provide.”
— James Taylor, Anesthesia Resident, UBC
Responses have been edited for flow, clarity, and style.
What inspired you to pursue anesthesiology, pharmacology, or therapeutics?
As an anesthesiologist, you have a unique set of skills as the most skilled physician at resuscitation and acute medicine. Falling back on your training allows you to be a calming presence and problem solve on-the-fly in high stress situations. Anesthesia is also the perfect combination of internal medicine and surgery. You are a proceduralist who applies critical thinking and physiology knowledge to diagnose and treat abnormal vital signs intra-operatively. Most importantly, I feel a deep sense of job satisfaction from the intense patient-physician relationship required when giving a patient your undivided attention during a stressful period.
What has surprised you most about your training?
I’ve been most surprised by how brief and fleeting physician-patient interactions can be in the hospital setting. Of course, the role of the physician is to integrate all clinical data points to make informed medical decisions. However, if you ask a patient who had a lasting impression on them, it is the nurses and allied health professionals. They are the individuals who execute our orders and put in the hard work. In fact, the limited opportunity to spend meaningful time with patients in many other specialties only reinforced my decision to pursue anesthesia, where I was drawn to the one-on-one, undivided attention anesthesiologists are able to provide.
What do you enjoy doing outside of the hospital or lab?
Like many in anesthesia, I have far too many hobbies outside of medicine, which are all related to staying active. During my first year of residency in Victoria, I fell in love with surfing and tried to make it out to Jordan River as often as possible on post-call days. In Vancouver, I enjoy playing soccer whenever my schedule allows, and during the summer months my co-residents and I have a friendly golf competition. Finally, as a good Vancouverite, I bike to work rain or shine and ski Whistler. Truly no place like BC to work and play!
What’s a fun fact about you that most people wouldn’t guess?
I find high altitude physiology fascinating, and I was lucky to have an opportunity to break 6000 m on a mountain called Huayna Patosí in Bolivia just prior to starting medical school! I also had an opportunity to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2018. Multi-day trekking feels like the best way to reset mentally and disconnect.