New Faculty Members

Isabelle Blais-Normandin, Md, FRCPC
Transfusion Medicine Fellow, UBC
Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Shih
Centre for Blood Research
Short bio:
I was born and raised in Montreal. I obtained my medical degree from Sherbrooke University. I completed a Hematology Residency, followed by a Clinical Oncology Residency at Université Laval in Quebec City. The double certification in those two specialties is common in Quebec. I am currently completing a transfusion medicine fellowship in Vancouver under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Shih with UBC. I just moved to this beautiful province in July 2021 with my partner, and we are enjoying every minute of it. When my fellowship is over, I will join the excellent team of the Hôpital de l'Enfant Jesus - CHU de Quebec, where I will work as an Hemato-Oncologist and Transfusion Medicine Expert. I also have a significant interest in medical education, in which I already completed a post-graduate certificate. Outside of work, I'm an avid traveler; I love exploring the world with hiking trips and discovering new lands with outdoor activities. In my spare time at home, I enjoy cooking, running, and perfecting photography skills.
Paula L. Blanco, MD MSc
Clinical Associate Professor, UBC
Staff Pathologist, St. Paul’s Hospital
Short bio:
I obtained my medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and subsequently pursued a Master of Science degree in the Department of Pathology at McGill University in Montreal. I completed my residency training in Anatomical Pathology in Barcelona, Spain, followed by clinical research fellowship subspecialty training in Renal and Transplantation Pathology with the Edmonton group at the University of Alberta, and post-doctoral studies in Ocular Pathology at McGill University. During the last 8 years, I was the Renal Pathology head and practiced Ocular Pathology at The Ottawa Hospital. I also served as the Renal Pathology co-chair for the provincial Ontario Renal Network, a part of Ontario Health, since 2018. I’m currently a Renal and Ophthalmic Pathologist in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UBC. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, and discovering beautiful BC.
Christine Collier, BSc, MSc, PhD, MSc, FCACB
Clinical Professor, UBC
Clinical Biochemist, Royal Columbian Hospital
Short bio:
Born and raised in Toronto, I attended the University of Toronto where I did my undergraduate with a focus on pharmacology, and my graduate work in Clinical Biochemistry. My husband and I moved to Winnipeg for my post-doc training in Clinical Biochemistry, followed by a post-doc at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. Finally settling down with our two kids in an 1852 limestone church renovated by my husband, I worked for almost 30 years at Kingston General Hospital and Queen’s University. I became involved with teaching after doing an early TIPS course at UBC. My areas of clinical interest include renal function, testosterone, troponin, multiple myeloma, quality control and assurance, and biological variation. While working part-time on a second Masters in Community Health and Epidemiology, I was able to do a sabbatical in England and Australia. I am currently co-chair of our society’s national working group on harmonization of reference intervals. Outside of work, when we are not chatting with friends, family or our two grandchildren on zoom, my husband and I are rediscovering bicycling, camping, painting, and life in general!
Eric J. Eckbo, MD, FRCPC
Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC
Vancouver General Hospital
Short bio:
I was born and raised in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, before moving to Ontario at the age of 13. I completed my undergraduate degree in Cell Biology & Genetics at UBC, after which time I worked in environmental microbiology in both public and private sectors. I completed a second undergraduate degree in Psychology at McGill University before undertaking medical school at the University of Western Ontario. I commenced postgraduate training in general pediatrics at UBC before narrowing my focus to Medical Microbiology & Infection Control and subsequently completed a residency program in 2020. I currently work as a Medical Microbiologist & Infection Control Physician with Vancouver Coastal Health, where I oversee medical mycology, mycobacteriology, and respiratory diagnostic portfolios. Outside of work, I’m often found chasing after my 12 month old Bernedoodle, sampling the culinary delights of Vancouver, and planning for the next vacation.
David Farnell, MD FRCPC
Clinical Instructor, UBC
Vancouver General Hospital
Short bio:
Born and raised in Kingston ON, I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate medical training at McMaster University. After attending a conference in Vancouver as a resident, I was drawn out west by the great outdoors and collaborative pathology community. I completed a research fellowship at BCCRC followed by a gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary pathology fellowship at VGH. I am very excited to join the department here, and my professional interests include digital pathology, mass spectrometry, and collaborative projects that benefit our patient population. Outside of work I can be found chasing after my two daughters somewhere in the North Shore Mountains.
Catherine Hogan, MD,CM
Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC
BCCDC
Short bio:
Dr. Hogan holds a MD,CM degree from McGill University (2011), and a Master’s degree in epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2013), where she worked on the early epidemiology of HIV-1 transmission in Central Africa. She completed infectious diseases training (2017) at McGill University, medical microbiology fellowship at Stanford University (2018) and a global health diagnostics fellowship at Stanford University (2020). She also serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Clinical Virology (2020-). Dr. Hogan’s main research area is the development and evaluation of infectious diseases diagnostics, with a focus on metabolomics. She is also interested in evaluating novel technologies for clinical application, repurposing of cost-effective diagnostic approaches and clinical and public health impact of these approaches.
Arjun Mehta, MD, FCAP, FRCPC
Clinical Instructor, UBC
Anatomic Pathologist, St. Paul’s Hospital
Short bio:
I grew up in Europe and moved to the USA to pursue my residency in Anatomic and Clinical pathology. I have completed three fellowships including surgical pathology, cytopathology and dermatopathology fellowships. My wife and I decided to move closer to my wife’s family who live in Vancouver. At present, I am a full time staff anatomical pathologist at St. Paul’s Hospital, in Vancouver. I enjoy teaching dermatopathology to students and pathology and dermatology residents. My interests include travelling, boating and hiking.
Agata Minor, PhD, DABMGG
Clinical Instructor, UBC
Clinical Cytogeneticist, Royal Columbian Hospital
Short bio:
Vancouver is home, but I have lived in Poland, Paris, Montreal and Chicago. I have attended SFU, BCIT and UBC. I completed my PhD at UBC. I then spent three years at the University of Chicago where I completed fellowships in Clinical Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Genetics. I now work at the Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory at Royal Columbian Hospital where I serve the patients of the Fraser Health Authority and beyond. I contribute to clinical research projects evaluating copy number variants in patients with autism and refractory schizophrenia. I have been interested in human genetics for as long as I can remember and I am happy to be doing the work that I enjoy close to home. Outside of work, I try to keep up with my two young children. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, travelling, and the peace that gardening brings me.
Laura Tapley, MD, FRCPC
Clinical Transfusion Medicine Fellow, UBC
Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Shih
Short bio:
I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where I completed undergraduate studies, medical school, and residency at the University of Manitoba. After training in Internal Medicine and Adult Clinical Hematology, I was drawn to the lab and I am very excited to be pursuing a fellowship in Transfusion Medicine at UBC. My academic interests include improving patient care through medical education and clinical and transfusion care for patients with hemoglobinopathies. In my free time, I enjoy getting outdoors in any way possible, including running, hiking, swimming and cross-country skiing. The BC mountains have been a wonderful challenge for these prairie legs, and I look forward to all of the adventures this beautiful province has to offer!
Yoko Ito, PhD
Clinical Instructor, UBC
BC Children's and Women's Hospital
Short bio:
I was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta where I completed my undergraduate and PhD studies at the University of Alberta. I became interested in Medical Genetics, particularly in the clinical application of genetic and genomic technologies, during my post-doctoral fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa. Afterwards, I completed a fellowship in clinical Molecular Genetics at McMaster University in Hamilton. After my training, I joined the Division of Genome Diagnostics as a Clinical Scientist in Vancouver. During my free time, I enjoy playing violin in chamber groups and volunteering.