We wish to extend congratulations to this year’s Pharmacology graduates:
Janet Jia He Zhang
Darya Bateni
Donya Bateni
Wayne Bao
Josh Dyce
Edward Huang
Mandy Li
Carly Lin
Amy Liu
Mido Luo
Kia Rashidi
Ravinder Sheena
Nima Teymouri
Boxon Zhang
Jeffrey Zhang
MD, University of Ottawa, 1983Anesthesia residency, University of Ottawa, 1983 – 1988; Anesthesia fellowship, Hahnemann University, Philadelphia PA,1988 – 1989; Staff Anesthesiologist, Ottawa Civic Hospital, 1989 – 1992; Associate Professor of Anesthesia, Penn State University, 1992 – 1997, tenure 1998; Staff Anesthesiologist, Providence St. Peter Hospital, Olympia WA 1999 – 2021; Staff Anesthesiologist, Saanich Peninsula Hospital, 2021 – present.
Website (or Lab):
Malignant Hyperthermia Adverse reactions under anesthesia Pharmacogenetics Neuromuscular diseases and anesthesia
Member, Professional Advisory Council, Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS)
Congratulations to Dr. Mark Ansermino who was awarded a BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute / Institute of Global Health at BCCH – CHIPS grant valued at $1,500,000 to support his proposal entitled “Smart triage and smart QI (Quality Improvement)
Smart Triage and QI
Dr. Ansermino and partners at Wallimu (Uganda), the Kenya Medical Research Institute, and many other collaborators have worked collaboratively over the past decade to develop and validate data-driven risk prediction models to improve childhood mortality and morbidity outcomes in triage and discharge in low resource settings. Smart Triage is a digital triaging platform that is simple, robust, low cost, and made specifically for low-resource facilities. It uses an algorithm that identifies children as emergency, priority, or non-urgent, based on easily measurable clinical symptoms and signs which can be captured by a low-skilled, frontline healthcare worker immediately after a child arrives at a health care facility. The triage system is intuitive and starts by displaying specific danger signs chosen in collaboration with local clinical experts. To help ensure that children at hospitals around the world are receiving the best care possible, a quality improvement (QI) program, Smart QI, will be implemented alongside Smart Triage. Smart QI provides a framework for continuous QI, driven by data collected through Smart Triage. Smart Triage and Smart QI were designed with the input of frontline health workers to ensure they are easy to use with little training and limited skills. It is also low cost, affordable, and relies on technology that is readily available in low and middle-income countries.
Through a research grant received from in 2018, the team was able to successfully implement a feasibility study of Smart Triage and Smart QI at Holy Innocent’s Children’s Hospital in Mbarara Uganda with over 5,500 children. Initial results have demonstrated that when using Smart Triage, the time it took for seriously ill children to receive antibiotics was reduced by 20 percent.
The next stage of this program, with this funding, is to update and validate the triage models through robust data collection, and scale Smart Triage + QI through rigorous research at regional referral hospitals in Uganda and Kenya. Each emergency department sees about 6,000 to 8,000 children each year, the majority of children are suffering from infections such as pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria.
Mining4Life and BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, with support from the BC Children’s Research Institute (BCCHRI) and the Institute for Global Health at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital (IGH-CW), have generously committed $1.5M for this project thus far, and endeavour for additional fundraising with the ultimate goal of improving the health and lives of vulnerable children worldwide.
Congratulations to Dr. Wesam Farag (Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman’s laboratory) who was awarded a 3-year Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship to support his research project entitled “Targeting G Protein-Coupled Receptors to Improve Neurovascular Coupling in Alzheimer’s Disease” A lay summary can be found – https://webapps.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/decisions/p/project_details.html?applId=516614&lang=en
Congratulations to Dr. Gillian Goobie (Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Tillie-Louise Hackett’s laboratory) who was awarded a 3 year Parker B. Francis Fellowship in Pulmonary Research to support her research project entitled “Identifying environmentally sensitive targets in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis”.
The Parker B. Francis Fellowship in Pulmonary Research (PBF) is intended to support the development of outstanding investigators embarking on careers in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The PBF Fellowship provides important support at a key transition point in the careers of new scientists who will benefit patients with lung diseases through innovative research.
Lay summary:
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease that causes lung scarring and results in breathing difficulties and early death. Air pollution is associated with IPF development and progression, but we do not understand why. This project aims to answer this question by looking at how air pollution contributes to scar tissue within the lungs through a process called DNA methylation that controls whether genes are turned on or off. We will match satellite-derived air pollution levels with lung imaging and DNA methylation data from patients with IPF compared to healthy individuals to understand how lung scarring occurs in response to pollution. This research will help uncover how pollution contributes to lung scarring in IPF and may identify new targets for therapies to reverse this process.
2024/2025 UBC Killam Teaching Prize
We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Tillie Louise Hackett is a recipient of the 2024/2025 UBC Killam Teaching Prizes
This award is to recognize an individual demonstrating excellence and dedication to teaching and commitment to students
Dr. Tillie-Louise Hackett exemplifies excellence as an educator and mentor. Over the past decade, she has been recognized as one of the top educators across UBC’s undergraduate, graduate, and medical school programs. As a mentor, her dedication to student success has led 55 trainees to win over 150 awards and pursue careers in academia, medicine, graduate studies, and industry. Dr. Hackett’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment is highlighted by her trainees and reflected in numerous accolades for teaching excellence and mentorship. Her outstanding contributions make her a deserving recipient of the 2024/2025 Killam Teaching Prize.
Congratulations go to Dr. Khaled Abdelrahman who is being recognized by the Canadian Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CSPT). Dr. Abdelrahman will be recognized with the 2024/2025 Junior Investigator Award at the Society’s 2025 Annual Conference in Vancouver – Jun 2 – 5, 2025. The Junior Investigator Award is awarded annually to recognize significant contributions to the advancement and extension of knowledge in the field of basic or clinical pharmacology.
Congratulations, Dr. Abdelrahman, for a well-deserved recognition!
Clinical Associate Professor
St. Paul’s Hospital
Providence Health Care Regional Anesthesia Division Lead
Website (or Lab):
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Hilary Grocott has been appointed Head, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, effective to June 30, 2030.
Dr. Grocott is a professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics. A world-renowned cardiothoracic anesthesiologist, his research is primarily focused on optimizing neurologic outcomes following cardiac surgery. Dr. Grocott has delivered nearly 250 invited lectures across six continents and previously served as Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia.
As Head, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Dr. Grocott will provide strategic leadership to the department, helping foster excellence and innovation in education, research, and service. He also aims to enhance faculty engagement and build on the department’s existing strengths.
Dr. Grocott’s appointment follows from the leadership of Dr. Peter Choi, who served as interim Head from July, 2023. I wish to thank Dr. Choi for his exemplary service, leadership and contributions to the Faculty in this role.
The Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics extends congratulations to Dr. Darryl Knight on his recent reappointment as President, Providence Research; Vice President, Research and Academic Affairs at Providence Health Care and Associate Dean, Research, Providence Health Care Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine for a five-year term effective to June 30, 2029.
Dr. Knight is a professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and a cell biologist with an international reputation in the area of lung and airway remodeling. He has previously served as Associate Director of the James Hogg Research Centre (now the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation).
Dr. Knight is also a founding member of several prominent health research initiatives and currently holds leadership roles in a variety of national and international research networks. His efforts to enhance collaboration between researchers, clinicians and policymakers have been instrumental in strengthening Providence Research’s mission to improve patient care and health systems.
In his previous term as Associate Dean, Research, Providence Research and President, Providence Research, Dr. Knight’s leadership has been integral in advancing Providence Research’s strategic goals, including enhancing interdisciplinary research, fostering meaningful community partnerships and driving impactful innovations in health care. His vision for the future of Providence Research — as part of the care, research and innovation network working with the new St. Paul’s Hospital at the Jim Pattison Medical Campus — focuses on expanding research capacity, increasing Providence Research’s global visibility, and further strengthening its contributions to clinical research, health policy and practice.
We extend our sincere congratulations to Dr. Knight on his reappointment and look forward to his continued leadership as Providence Research builds on its world-class reputation for excellence in health research.