Six faculty members have been announced as Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Election to fellowship in the CAHS represents one of the highest honours for members of the Canadian health sciences community. The demonstrated leadership and distinctive competencies of these individuals have led to remarkable accomplishments and advancements in academic health sciences.
The inductees are:
Karen Gelmon, a Professor of Medical Oncology at the BC Cancer Agency and the University of British Columbia. She is recognized nationally and internationally for her many contributions to the development of novel treatments for breast cancer including paclitaxel, trastucumab (Herceptin), olinarib, palbociclib, lapatinib, and pertuzumab, as well as investigational new drugs for other malignancies. She has championed the importance of better translational research connecting lab and clinical researchers. Scientist, community leader, humanitarian and teacher, Karen Gelmon has fundamentally expanded our understanding of the science of cancer while advancing the art and humanity of patient care.
Dermot Kelleher, Vice President, Health at UBC and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, an accomplished academic leader with an international reputation. His initial academic contribution as a gastroenterologist produced a lengthy record of publication, creation of new commercial entities and a strong clinical impact. His leadership has produced unique research collaborations amongst Universities in Dublin and London. He has launched a new medical school in Singapore. He is a founding Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and former President of the Federation of European Academies of Medicine. Since coming to Canada he has demonstrated strong academic leadership in British Columbia and Canada.
Timothy Kieffer, a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and leader of the Life Sciences Institute Diabetes Research Group. He is internationally recognized for his creative and innovative approaches to treat diabetes, including the use of gene therapy and stem cells. Throughout his career he has demonstrated an impressive commitment to translating laboratory findings into potential therapies and he actively engages and informs the public on research discoveries. He enjoys teaching and is a tremendous mentor who is dedicated to training the next generation of Canada’s scientists.
Larry Lynd, an Associate Member of the School of Population and Public Health. A pharmacist and epidemiologist, he is the Director of the UBC Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, an internationally recognized research group. He leads multi-million dollar projects related to orphan drugs and rare diseases and the implementation of genetics in primary care. He holds appointments to multiple local, national and international advisory committees as an expert in epidemiology and health economics.
Heather McKay, a health scientist who applies health promotion science in the public health domain by conducting trials that span randomized controlled intervention trials to pragmatic, flexible dissemination trials (implementation at scale evaluation). She creates powerful research partnerships among health practitioners, policy makers, community organizations and interdisciplinary research teams. Heather has designed, implemented and scaled up school and community-based interventions that enhanced the health of Canadian children and older adults. Her school-based interventions have been emulated across Canada and the world.
Yuzhuo Wang, a Professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences and senior research scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre. A brilliant theoretical biologist, Dr. Wang is internationally recognized for fundamental discoveries in cancer research, including his unique patient-derived xenograft models. His discoveries have advanced our understanding of cancer biology and are currently being translated into clinical applications. He is committed to training the next generation of cancer researchers and to building an international network of research collaborators.
