DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY & LABORATORY MEDICINE MAGAZINE
DATE:February 2021
New Faculty Members
Anthony Hsieh, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow, UBC
Supervisor: Dr. Hélène Côté
UBC Hospital
Short bio:
I was born in Taiwan but grew up in Vancouver, where I completed my undergraduate degree in Biotechnology and my PhD in Pathology at UBC. As a graduate student I studied accelerated immune aging in people living with HIV. This involved studying blood samples from hundreds of people from all over Canada, including a rare population of people naturally resistant to HIV disease. Although antiretroviral therapy is critical to controlling HIV, some regimens can be toxic to cells. As a postdoc, I am studying these toxicities in cultured blood cells from human donors to help understand which antiretrovirals are safest. When I’m not in the lab I enjoy taking pictures of outer space through my telescope or riding up the Sea-to-Sky Highway on my motorcycle.
Muhammad Zohaib Anwar, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UBC
Supervisor: Dr. William Hsiao
BC Centre for Disease Control
Short bio:
I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow working with Dr. William Hsiao at the BC Centre for Disease Control. I earned my PhD degree (2019) through a PhD Fellowship from Marie Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) specializing in Microbial Bioinformatics at Aarhus University, Denmark. Currently, with Dr. Hsiao, I am working in developing bioinformatics tools and workflows to analyze clinical and environmental pathogen genomics data. I am also a member of Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN) VirusSeq where I analyze viral genomics data for genomic surveillance and response to COVID-19 both nationally and within provincial and territorial health jurisdictions.
In addition to volunteering for Carpentries as Instructor for teaching fundamentals of data management and software development to researchers, students and as outreach, I enjoy my time with my family and playing & watching sports in my spare time.
Amir Hadzic, MSc
Clinical Instructor, UBC
Kelowna General Hospital
Short bio:
I am a Medical Microbiologist at Kelowna General Hospital and Infection Prevention and Control Medical Lead for Interior Health Authority. I completed my Medical Microbiology residency at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. In addition to Medical Microbiology training, I hold a Master’s Degree in Epidemiology from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and have previous training and clinical experience in Infectious Diseases. My areas of interests include antimicrobial resistance and quality management. I am involved with UBC as Clinical Instructor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
Andrea D. Olmstead, PhD
Research Associate
BC Centre for Disease Control and UBC
Short bio:
I am currently studying antibody responses to COVID-19 as a Research Associate with the BC Centre for Disease Control and Department of Pathology. I am also studying SARS-CoV-2 antiviral strategies in the Department of Microbiology. I obtained my PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at The University of British Columbia where I researched lipid metabolism as a host antiviral target for Hepatitis C virus. After my PhD, I worked as a researcher at the BC Centre for Disease Control, applying sequencing and phylogenetics to study the molecular epidemiology of Hepatitis C and other viruses. I also worked as a Research Scientist at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, where I applied next-generation sequencing to study viral evolution and support surveillance strategies for Hepatitis c virus and other RNA virus infections. Outside of work I enjoy exploring the West Coast outdoors as much as possible with my husband and twin toddlers.
Joseph Mathew, MD FRCPC
Clinical Fellow (Dermatopathology), UBC
Fellowship Director: Dr. Richard Crawford
Short bio:
I was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, and I completed my undergraduate degree, medical degree, and residency training in Anatomical Pathology at McMaster University. I am currently completing a fellowship in Dermatopathology at UBC after which I will be pursuing further training in Dermatopathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. My family and I moved to Vancouver in July, 2020, and we have enjoyed every minute of our time here! Outside of work, I enjoy going for walks with my family, watching NBA basketball, playing board games and road trips.
Jennifer Kong, PhD
Affiliate Instructor, UBC
David Hardwick Pathology Learning Centre
Short bio:
I was born and raised in Trail, BC before coming to UBC to complete an undergraduate and PhD (Experimental Medicine) in cardiovascular research. After a postdoctoral fellowship and 2 babies, I was actively teaching the undergraduate medical students with UBC Faculty of Medicine for over a decade. Concurrently, I was also teaching anatomy, physiology, and pathology to BCIT students in the health care science programs: where I continue to work as part of the Dept of Basic Health Sciences. Thus between UBC & BCIT, I have the unique perspective of teaching into almost every single health care profession. I joined Pathology in 2020 to help bring the David Hardwick Pathology Learning Centre to the outside world using Open Education, video-lessons, and in-person tours. Outside of work in these COVID times, I enjoy my daily walks with my husband, playing games with my teens, and watching cooking competition shows.
Maral Rahvar, MD, FCAP
Clinical Instructor, UBC
General Pathologist, Lions Gate Hospital
Short bio:
I was born and raised in Iran. I moved to Canada with my family after completing medical school. In 2011, I started a postdoctoral fellowship in Department of Dermatology at University of California, San Francisco. In 2013, I moved to Southern California, where I attended four years of residency in Anatomical and Clinical Pathology at Loma Linda University. Upon graduating in 2017, I relocated to Pennsylvania for a year of fellowship in Dermatopathology at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. I am currently a part of Department of Pathology at the Lions Gate Hospital where I work as a General pathologist as well as a Dermatopathologist. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family, travelling, trying new places to eat and outdoor adventures.
Daniel Owen, MD, FRCPC
Clinical Instructor, UBC
Vancouver General Hospital
Short bio:
I was born in Vancouver – one of my earliest memories is of being pushed in a stroller through the campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC). From a young age, I had aspirations to become a UBC student. After completing a bachelor of Life Sciences undergraduate degree at Queen’s University, Kingston, I was delighted to join UBC as a medical student and then as a resident in the Anatomical Pathology Residency Program. From there, I spent a year as a fellow in gastrointestinal, pancreatic and hepatobiliary pathology at the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. I now look forward to working with new colleagues at UBC, and with many whom I have known for years. Currently, I am involved in research on inflammatory bowel disease-associated neoplasia, and in teaching and mentoring of UBC students and residents. In my personal time, I enjoy fiction and non-fiction reading, overseas travel and learning new languages.
Victor Yuen MBBS MHSc FRCPC D(ABMM)
Clinical Instructor, UBC
Medical Microbiologist, Royal Jubilee Hospital, Vancouver Island Health Authority
Short bio:
I enjoy experiencing new cultures and have taken the opportunity to live in different countries around the world, including Australia, where I completed medical school and survived countless “dangerous” wildlife encounters. I came to Pathology Department after completing my Medical Microbiology Residency at UBC during which time I also completed a Master of Health Science at the School of Population and Public Health. My research interests include laboratory quality improvement, public health clinical epidemiology, and especially novel technology such as laboratory automation, molecular diagnostics, and digital workflow. In my free time, I enjoy going to the gym and like tinkering with computers. As an ailurophile, I took the opportunity during the pandemic to adopt Katie, a gorgeous grey tabby domestic shorthair, and I relocated with her to Vancouver Island.
William MacKinnon, MD, FRCPC
Clinical Instructor, UBC
Royal Jubilee Hospital
Short bio:
I was born and raised on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and subsequently attended Dalhousie University where I earned Bachelor of Science and Medical Doctorate degrees. I then obtained certification in anatomical pathology through residency at McMaster University, worked for a few years in the community, and then returned to Halifax for a dermatopathology fellowship. Currently, I am a consultant dermatopathologist practicing in Victoria.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading, travel, restaurants, art, and music.