Welcome to Pathology's Bi-Weekly Bulletin

Welcome to Pathology's Bi-Weekly Bulletin | April 24, 2026

PALM faculty recognized for doctoral examination service

Faculty members from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine have been recognized by UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for their service as Chairs of doctoral examinations in 2025.

Chairs play an important role in ensuring that doctoral examinations are conducted fairly and in accordance with university policies, supporting candidates throughout the defence process. Faculty members recognized for their contributions include:

Dr. Marcel Bally
Dr. Helene Cote
Dr. Zu-Hua Gao (2 exams)
Dr. David Huntsman
Dr. Aly Karsan
Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu
Dr. Cornelia Laule
Dr. Victor Ling
Dr. Christian Steidl
Dr. Bruce Verchere
Dr. Cheryl Wellington
Dr. Joanne Wright(3 exams)

We thank these faculty members for their contributions to graduate education at UBC.

Dr. David Farnell appointed Program Director, Diagnostic Molecular Pathology Residency Program

Drs. Zu-hua Gao and Mike Nimmo are pleased to announce that Dr. David (Dave) Farnell has been appointed Program Director of the Diagnostic Molecular Pathology (DMP) Residency Program in the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, effective July 1, 2026.

Dr. Farnell is an Anatomical Pathologist at Vancouver General Hospital, specializing in gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary pathology. He completed his residency training at McMaster University and a fellowship in gastrointestinal pathology at VGH. He is a Clinical Faculty member with the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Dr. Farnell brings extensive experience in medical education and residency training. He has played a key role in implementing Competence by Design (CBD) within the DMP program and currently serves as Associate Program Director. He is actively involved in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows, and has contributed to initiatives aimed at enhancing the residency training experience.

As Program Director, Dr. Farnell will oversee and coordinate the DMP Residency Program.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Farnell to this role and thanking him for his contribution to residency education.

UBC Pathology Residency Programs welcome 2026 CaRMS matches

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is pleased to welcome incoming residents to its training programs following the 2026 CaRMS match. The matched applicants will begin their programs on July 1, 2026.

Diagnostic & Molecular Pathology

Dr. Laney Beaulieu – Western University
Dr. Calvin Chang – University of British Columbia
Dr. Walter Yin – Université de Montréal
Dr. Yi Han Xia – University of British Columbia

Hematological Pathology

Dr. Theodora Yung – University of Alberta

Medical Microbiology

Dr. Tetiana Povshedna – National Pirogov Memorial Medical University (PhD candidate, UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; research on health outcomes for women living with HIV)

Neuropathology

Dr. Joseph Silburt – Dalhousie University

Please join us in welcoming our new residents to the department.

Call for participation: PATH 200 course contributions

Faculty and staff in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine are invited to contribute to PATH 200 by sharing real-world experiences, perspectives, and insights with students.

Contributions may include short Q&A sessions or brief video recordings on topics related to pathology and laboratory medicine, including myths and realities explored in the course.

If you are interested in participating, please contact the course coordinator, Dr. Añuli C. Uzozie by May 30, 2026.

Learn more: View flyer

UBC Pathology Teaching Repository — Now Live

We are pleased to launch a new shared platform for teaching materials. Neuropathology is the first group to begin using the repository.

The repository supports:

Sharing academic half-day teaching materials with residents and faculty
Storing exam templates in password-protected folders
Organizing content using folders and sub-folders
Centralizing materials so teaching content can be reused over time

A few notes:

Password protection: Folders can be secured with a password. Groups may use a shared username and password if appropriate.
Sub-folders: Fully supported to help organize materials.
Platform improvements: As more divisions join, the repository will be migrated to a cloud-hosted platform to improve upload and download speeds.

To request access for your division, please contact Debbie Bertanjoli at dbertanjoli@pathology.ubc.ca.| teaching repository login

Dr. Poul Sorensen co-leads study on new targeted therapy for aggressive cancers

A new UBC-led study by Dr. Poul Sorensen, Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, reports promising results for a targeted cancer therapy using antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) directed at the IL1RAP protein.

In preclinical models, the therapy eliminated tumours and reduced metastatic spread across multiple cancers, including Ewing sarcoma, lymphoma, and other oncofusion-driven malignancies, while showing minimal toxicity. These findings support further development toward clinical trials.

The work was published in Cancer Discovery, with key contributions from Dr. Sorensen’s lab, including first author Dr. Haifeng Zhang.

Dr. Samuel Aparicio co-leads study mapping breast tissue changes and cancer risk

A new study co-led by Dr. Samuel Aparicio, Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, provides the most detailed map to date of how breast tissue changes with age and during menopause.

Analyzing over 3 million cells from more than 500 individuals, the study shows how aging reshapes the breast tissue environment, including changes in cell composition, structure, and immune response. These changes may create conditions that allow cancer to develop and progress.

The findings, published in Nature Aging, offer new insights that may support earlier detection and more targeted prevention strategies for breast cancer.

Dr. Stephen Yip and Dr. David Schaeffer to speak on digital pathology and AI at Healthcare Summit

Dr. Stephen Yip (Associate Professor) and Dr. David Schaeffer (Professor), Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, will participate in a panel on digital pathology and artificial intelligence at the 26th Annual Healthcare Summit in Vancouver.

The session will examine how AI-enabled digital pathology is supporting diagnostic accuracy, improving workflow efficiency, and enabling earlier disease detection, as well as considerations for responsible implementation at scale. The panel also includes collaborators from across the healthcare and research community.

The summit will take place May 25–26, 2026 in Vancouver, BC.

Dr. Marthe Kenny Charles to deliver keynote at CLSI Applied 2026

Dr. Marthe Kenny Charles, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, will deliver a keynote presentation at the CLSI Applied 2026 virtual summit.

Her talk, “Crossroads of Change: AI in the Laboratory, Past, Present, and Future,” will explore how artificial intelligence can be applied across laboratory workflows, from pre-analytical to post-analytical phases, and how laboratories can adopt emerging technologies while maintaining quality and patient safety.

CLSI Applied 2026 brings together laboratory professionals and leaders to discuss new technologies, standards, and practices shaping the future of diagnostics.

Read more: CLSI Applied 2026 event page

Dr. Lucy Perrone contributes to ISO/TC 212 meeting in Vancouver

Dr. Lucy Perrone, Director of the Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management (POLQM) and faculty member in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, will participate in the 43rd meeting of ISO/TC 212/WG 1 (Quality and competence in the medical laboratory), taking place April 29 to May 1, 2026 in Vancouver.

The working group supports development of the ISO 15189 standard, which guides quality and competence requirements for medical laboratories in Canada and internationally. The meeting will bring together 79 delegates from Canada and 21 other countries.

POLQM also offers a self-paced online course on updates to ISO 15189:2022 for laboratory professionals.

Learn more: ISO/TC 212/WG 1 committee | ISO 15189:2022 course details

Upcoming Salary Award Opportunity for Trainees in the Discovery Sciences

The Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI) will soon launch its annual Graduate and Fellowship Research Award competition, offering one year of salary support to eligible trainees.

The awards are open to WHRI-affiliated graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who do not currently hold major competitive salary awards. Funding levels are:

Master’s students: $30,000
Doctoral students: $40,000
Postdoctoral fellows: $65,000

This year, additional awards will support trainees in discovery and foundational sciences (e.g., cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, physiology) whose research is relevant to women’s and/or newborn health, including studies addressing sex differences in biomedical research.

Further details and application information will be shared once the competition opens.

UBC expands international research partnership with CNRS

UBC has signed a Letter of Intent with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) to establish a new International Research Centre, supporting long-term global research collaboration.

CNRS is one of the world’s leading research organizations, and the partnership is expected to strengthen collaboration across multiple fields, including health sciences. The initiative may create new opportunities for interdisciplinary and international research involving UBC faculty.

Weekly Province-wide Pathology Rounds

Friday, April 24, 2026 — Province-Wide Pathology Rounds

Please note: The Province-wide Pathology Rounds scheduled for Friday, April 24 have been cancelled.

Research Rounds will take place on May 1, 2026. Further details will be shared next week.

🔁 Missed a session? View recordings of previous rounds here: Past Rounds Archive

💡 Have ideas for future rounds or speakers? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at pathassist@pathology.ubc.ca

PathDay 2026

The PathDay 2026 website is now live. Speaker information and a tentative program schedule are available. PathDay registration and abstract submission can be accessed directly through the website.

Please visit the site regularly for updates, deadlines, and program details.

Visit the PathDay 2026 website

📣 Have News to Share?

Do you have a story, publication, award, event, or other exciting update to share with the UBC Pathology community?

We'd love to hear from you! Please reach out to Debbie Bertanjoli at dbertanjoli@pathology.ubc.ca.

Let's celebrate our collective achievements and keep our community connected!