HR staffing update, Dr. Allen Zhang's departmental presentation, CEDAR Camp 2026, new funding, course registration and more.

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Welcome to Pathology's Bi-Weekly Bulletin | August 7, 2026

Human Resources Staffing Update

Hannah Sauvé, Human Resource Manager for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, will be on secondment with the Faculty of Medicine from August 17, 2026, to October 9, 2027, supporting academic appointments.

During this period, Jessy Lee will serve as the department’s Interim Human Resource Manager. Jessy brings several years of experience with the Faculty of Medicine and extensive knowledge of UBC and Workday human resources processes and policies.

Beginning August 17, please contact jessy.lee@ubc.ca regarding staff and student human resources matters. For academic appointments, please contact Jessy and copy Genevieve MacMillan.

Welcome, Jessy, and best wishes to Hannah in her new role with the Faculty of Medicine!

New Custom Reporting Options in FAD

FAD has been updated with new custom reporting options, available from the Reports tab in the main menu. Users can now create reports tailored to their needs by selecting which sections to include and arranging them in their preferred order.

When building a report, simply choose the sections you need and move them up or down to customize the final layout.
Dr. Allen Zhang departmental presentation

Departmental Presentation by Dr. Allen Zhang

Department members are invited to attend Dr. Allen Zhang’s departmental presentation as part of the faculty appointment recruitment process. Attendees will have an opportunity to provide feedback to the search committee following the presentation.

  • Date: Monday, August 10, 2026
  • Time: 10:00–11:00 am
  • Presentation: 50 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for questions
  • Title: Decoding Immune-Cancer Crosstalk in Ovarian and Endometrial Cancers
  • Location: Zoom
  • Meeting ID: 938 4746 8390
  • Passcode: 468390

View the invitation and access the Zoom meeting.
BMLSc at CEDAR Camp 2026

BMLSc Connects with Indigenous Youth at CEDAR Camp 2026

The BMLSc program was delighted to participate in the 2026 Cedar Summer Camp, where instructors and members of the UBC Med Lab Club engaged Indigenous youth in an interactive introduction to pathology and laboratory medicine. Led by recent BMLSc graduates Mai Truong (who has accepted an offer for graduate studies at UBC) and Rachael Pan (recently admitted to the Master of Pathologists’ Assistant program at University of Calgary), the team facilitated engaging conversations, hands-on activities, and meaningful discussions. The event fostered curiosity, encouraged educational aspirations, and reinforced the program’s commitment to community engagement and relationship-building with Indigenous communities.
Residents as Teachers Certificate Program

Residents Complete the Residents as Teachers Certificate Program

Congratulations to the following second-year residents on completing UBC’s Residents as Teachers (RaT) Certificate Program:

  • Dr. Maggie Hou — Neuropathology Residency Program
  • Dr. Alan Gou — Medical Microbiology Residency Program

The program helps residents further develop their teaching skills and support the learning of medical students and junior colleagues. Thank you to Dr. Hou and Dr. Gou for their commitment to teaching and their continued growth as clinical educators.
Andrew Lai Sau Leung

In Memoriam: Andrew Lai Sau Leung

We are saddened to share that Andrew Lai Sau Leung, a long-standing member of the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, passed away peacefully on July 27, 2026.

Andrew completed his BSc in Microbiology at UBC in 1980. Following a brief period at the BC Centre for Disease Control, he joined Dr. Evan Evans’ laboratory at UBC, where he spent much of his scientific career working in biophysics. He later worked with Dr. Jacqueline Quandt’s laboratory, contributing to research related to multiple sclerosis. In recognition of his service to the department, Andrew received the Technical Staff Service Award in 2007.

Andrew will be remembered for his many years of dedicated service to the department. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Karen, his family, friends and former colleagues.

A celebration of Andrew’s life will be held on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm at Ocean View Funeral Home and Burial Park, 4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby. The ceremony will also be livestreamed, and a recording will be available afterward.

Read Andrew’s obituary and find celebration of life details.
Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management

Registration Open for UBC Laboratory Quality Courses

Registration is now open for two online courses offered by UBC’s Program Office for Laboratory Quality Management:

  • Laboratory Quality Management (LQM) 2027 — A comprehensive online certificate program for professionals working in clinical and research laboratories. The program begins on January 6, 2027. An early-bird rate of $1,550 per course or $3,000 for the full program is available until September 30, 2026.
    Course information and registration | View the LQM flyer
  • Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Interpretation (AST&I) — A fully online, self-paced program covering antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods, quality control, interpretation and reporting. Participants may begin at any time and complete the program in approximately 12 weeks or take up to one year.
    Course information and registration | View the AST&I flyer

Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre (GSC) has launched its inaugural Member Faculty Program to support collaboration with researchers across British Columbia.

The program is open to faculty members at BC universities whose research aligns with genomics, computational biology, bioinformatics, precision medicine, infectious diseases, data science, artificial intelligence and related life sciences fields. Members will have opportunities to collaborate with GSC investigators and access the Centre’s genomics, computational and research infrastructure.

Interested faculty members should first consult their Department Head and submit the following:

  • A current curriculum vitae
  • A one- to two-page research summary
  • A letter of application of up to three pages describing their research interests, alignment with the GSC mission and potential opportunities for collaboration

Application deadline: September 30, 2026

Applications and questions may be directed to faculty_applications@bcgsc.ca.

RNA Innovation @ UBC Catalyst Grants Program

RNA Innovation @ UBC has launched its Catalyst Grants Program, funded by the UBC Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation.

The program supports new interdisciplinary collaborations and innovative RNA-focused research. Applications must be submitted by a team of at least two eligible UBC faculty members and must involve a new collaboration between the investigators. Additional collaborators from other institutions, health authorities, industry or community organizations are welcome.

Application deadline: Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT.

Learn more and view the application details. Questions may be directed to ubcrna.catalyst@msl.ubc.ca.

BioHubNet Opportunities for UBC Trainees and Research Personnel

Through BioHubNet’s recent national expansion, eligible UBC trainees and highly qualified personnel can now access selected training, experiential learning and commercialization programs in Canada’s life sciences and biomanufacturing sectors.

Available opportunities include:

  • ENGAGE — Industry-focused training, workshops, mentorship, curated learning pathways and networking opportunities.
  • EXPERIENCE — Industry internships and Knowledge Exchange placements offering practical learning experiences.
  • EQUIP — VentureConnect grants supporting commercialization and entrepreneurship activities.

Eligible participants may include graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research associates, laboratory technicians and other research personnel. Eligibility and application requirements vary by program.

Application deadline: January 31, 2027.

Visit the BioHubNet website, access the online training platform, or view the program overview for further information.

Faculty Award Opportunities

UBC faculty members are invited to consider the following award opportunities:

  • Engaged Research Award
    Recognizes faculty members who demonstrate a commitment to engaged research and knowledge exchange with non-academic communities.
    Nomination deadline: November 16, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT.
    View the award guidelines.
  • Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity
    Provides $100,000 over one year to support a bold institutional initiative addressing persistent systemic barriers in research and academia. Full-time UBC faculty members and faculty-led teams are eligible to apply. As UBC may submit only one nomination to the national competition, applications will first undergo an internal review.
    UBC internal application deadline: September 18, 2026.
    View the application requirements and guidelines.
Data Science for Healthcare Using the R Language

New Data Science for Healthcare Microcertificate

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is pleased to offer a new AI-augmented 10-week microcertificate, Data Science for Healthcare Using the R Language, beginning October 16, 2026.

This practical program was developed under the leadership of Dr. Daniel T. Holmes, Clinical Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Head and Medical Director of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Providence Health Care, and Clinical Chemistry Data Analytics Lead with the Provincial Laboratory Medicine Service.

The program provides healthcare professionals with in-demand analytics skills to analyze medical datasets using Claude Code and the R programming language, and to produce actionable insights, conduct quality improvement initiatives, and support data-informed delivery.

Students will learn to use the R language, assisted by a coding agent, to perform the data analytics tasks required for clinical research, figure creation, statistical analysis, quality monitoring, and report and dashboard generation. A free Claude subscription is provided for the duration of the course as required, giving students hands-on experience with AI-assisted coding, documentation, and data analysis.

Course start date: October 16, 2026
Course fee: $2,000 CAD

Four $1,000 CAD tuition subsidies are available for students enrolling in the October 2026 intake. Eligible applicants, including medical, graduate, and undergraduate students, must submit their application by July 31, 2026. Selected recipients will be contacted directly by the end of August.

Learn more about the microcertificate | Register for the course | Apply for a student subsidy

Weekly Province-wide Pathology Rounds

Rounds Resume September 11

Province-wide Pathology Rounds will resume on Friday, September 11, 2026.

Our first speaker will be Dr. Ali Bashashati, Associate Professor in UBC’s School of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Director of Artificial Intelligence Research at OVCARE. Dr. Bashashati will present on his research in artificial intelligence.

Further presentation details will be shared closer to the date.

🔁 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

📣 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!
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