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

Faculty of Medicine Shares Message on Dr. Zu-hua Gao’s Reappointment

Following the announcement in our previous bulletin, Dr. Sharmila Anandasabapathy, Dean of the UBC Faculty of Medicine and Vice-President, Health, has shared a message recognizing Dr. Zu-hua Gao’s reappointment as Head of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

The message highlights Dr. Gao’s leadership during his first term and outlines priorities for the Department’s next five years, including research excellence, education and mentorship, and continued innovation in precision medicine, digital pathology and artificial intelligence.

Read the Dean’s message.

Dr. Cheryl Wellington Awarded $1.7 Million CIHR Grant for Dementia Biomarker Research

Dr. Cheryl Wellington, Professor in UBC’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has received $1,699,389 through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant program for a four-year study of plasma biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

The project, Alamar Discovery of Plasma Biomarkers That Distinguish Dementia Subtypes, Inform on Disease Staging and Predict Rate of Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, will use a highly sensitive technology to measure 220 proteins in a single blood sample. The research team aims to identify biomarkers that can distinguish dementia subtypes, improve early detection and disease staging, and help predict the rate of cognitive decline.

Congratulations to Dr. Wellington and the multidisciplinary research team on this significant achievement.

View detailed project information in the CIHR Funding Decisions Database.

A related short video feature on the lab’s work, Inside the Wellington Lab: Where a Simple Blood Test Could Be the Key That Unlocks the Mysteries of the Brain, is available on Instagram.

Funding Update for Dr. Patrick Tang’s Clinical Genomics Project

Dr. Patrick Tang has received an additional $90,000 in funding from Michael Smith Health Research BC to advance his project, Clinical Genomics for Enhanced Infectious Disease Diagnosis.

The award supports Clinical Genomics for Enhanced Infectious Disease Diagnosis, a project based at Providence Health Care – St. Paul’s Hospital. The project period runs from July 2025 to June 2030, with current funding committed through June 2027.

Learn more about the 2025 Scholar and Health Professional-Investigator award recipients.

Two Department Researchers Receive 2026 Gynecologic Cancer Initiative Awards

Congratulations to a postdoctoral fellow and a resident physician in the Department, whose projects both ranked among the top submissions in this year's Gynecologic Cancer Initiative competitions.

Dr. Lanlan Fang – 2026 Carraresi Foundation Research Grant

Dr. Lanlan Fang, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has received a 2026 Carraresi Foundation Research Grant for the project Modeling the development of adult-type granulosa cell tumors using human immortalized pluripotent stem cells. Dr. Yemin Wang is Principal Applicant, with Dr. Fang and Dr. David Huntsman as co-applicants.

Building on the team's earlier discovery of the FOXL2 mutation present in the great majority of adult-type granulosa cell tumours, the project will develop and validate a new model of the disease using induced pluripotent stem cells, enabling the early events in tumour development to be studied directly.

The award provides $14,000 from September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2028, and is funded by the Carraresi Foundation to OVCARE through the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.

Dr. Allen Zhang – 2026 Division of Gynecologic Oncology Research Award

Dr. Allen Zhang, PGY-5 Resident Physician in Diagnostic and Molecular Pathology, has received a 2026 Division of Gynecologic Oncology Research Award for the project Developing models for targeted treatment of low grade serous ovarian cancer. Dr. David Huntsman is Principal Applicant, with Dr. Zhang, Dr. Dawn Cochrane and Dr. Tasnim Olatoke as co-applicants.

Low-grade serous ovarian cancer is a rare subtype that remains difficult to treat with conventional therapies. The team will validate candidate cell surface targets for antibody-drug conjugate development in a larger cohort, and work toward a preclinical model to support future evaluation of these therapies.

The award provides $20,000 from September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2028, and is funded by the UBC Division of Gynecologic Oncology.

Recent Faculty Publications

Congratulations to the following faculty members on their recent publications, listed here by research location.

BC Cancer

  • Marcel B. Bally 1. Sun X, Sharifiaghdam M, Sarrami N, et al. A novel liposomal formulation of irinotecan comprising a combination of copper complexation and a transmembrane pH gradient to significantly improve irinotecan encapsulation and retention. Int J Pharm. 2026;700:127024.
    2. Crawford J, Munuganti R, Leung C, et al. Cryo-EM-guided subtractive optimization of a novel VCP/p97 inhibitor. IUCrJ. 2026;13:364-372.
  • Ali Bashashati Mallya M, Mirabadi AK, Farahani H, Bashashati A. HistoMILKD: a multiple instance learning based multi-teacher knowledge distillation framework for whole slide image classification. In: Proceedings 2026 IEEE/CVF Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision (WACV). 2026:3390-3400.
  • Katey S.S. Enfield Souza VGP, Bénard KH, Stewart GL, et al. Gene amplification in the premalignant stages of non-small cell lung cancer development. Front Oncol. 2026;16:1803576.
  • Pedro M.S. Farinha Hilton LK, Gillis S, Y-Moayyed F, et al. LySeqST: a targeted sequencing assay for robust genomic classification of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Blood Adv. 2026;10(12):4208-4214.
  • David G. Huntsman 1. Wei L, EL-Naggar AM, Li Y, et al. Co-targeting cystathionine gamma-lyase and mTOR: a promising therapeutic strategy in clear cell ovarian cancer. BMC Cancer. 2026;26(1):761.
    2. Colina JA, Recouvreux MS, Sobeck AM, et al. Ciliated cells drive critical STING-mediated tumor suppression in the fallopian tube epithelium. Cancer Res. 2026;86(12):2878-2895.
    3. Shore A, Fang L, Hewins S, Huntsman DG, Dawson LM. Granulosa cell tumors and menopausal hormone therapy: a narrative review. Gynecol Oncol Rep. 2026;65:102123.
  • Wan L. Lam Souza VGP, Bénard KH, Stewart GL, et al. Gene amplification in the premalignant stages of non-small cell lung cancer development. Front Oncol. 2026;16:1803576.
  • William W. Lockwood Souza VGP, Bénard KH, Stewart GL, et al. Gene amplification in the premalignant stages of non-small cell lung cancer development. Front Oncol. 2026;16:1803576.
  • Calum E. MacAulay 1. Devnath L, Janzen I, Ho C, et al. Fusion of clinical and deep learning features for predicting pembrolizumab monotherapy response in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. J Clin Med. 2026;15(12):4536.
    2. Janzen I, Abraham R, Atkar-Khattra S, et al. Applying deep learning and radiomics to diagnostically challenging nodules in LDCT screening programs. Proc SPIE. 2026;13926:1392609.
  • Andrew J. Roth Parker PA, Alexander K, Banerjee SC, et al. Training that sticks: sustaining knowledge and communication excellence in geriatric oncology through a multidisciplinary training program. Innov Aging. 2026;10(8):igag058.
  • Graham W. Slack Hilton LK, Gillis S, Y-Moayyed F, et al. LySeqST: a targeted sequencing assay for robust genomic classification of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Blood Adv. 2026;10(12):4208-4214.
  • Gang Wang Yap M, Mihai I-M, Alanazi MAA, et al. Automated H-scoring in muscle-invasive bladder cancer IHC: an internal validation study. Diagnostics (Basel). 2026;16(11):1673.
  • Yemin Wang Wei L, EL-Naggar AM, Li Y, et al. Co-targeting cystathionine gamma-lyase and mTOR: a promising therapeutic strategy in clear cell ovarian cancer. BMC Cancer. 2026;26(1):761.

BC Centre for Public Health Laboratories

  • Jonathan B. Gubbay Amaral G, Gadkar VJ, Almodahka A, et al. Performance of the Xpert Xpress Strep A for detection of Streptococcus pyogenes from pediatric pleural fluids. Microbiol Spectr. 2026;14(6).
  • Linda M.N. Hoang Boyd E, Liu C, Kearney A, et al. Using whole genome sequencing to investigate routes of transmission of Salmonella Dublin to British Columbian dairy farms. Prev Vet Med. 2026;254:106938.
  • Catherine Anne Hogan Colucci N, Giannou AD, Liu SH, et al. Management of cystic echinococcosis in British Columbia: outcomes and suggestions to improve guideline adherence. Can J Surg. 2026;69(3):E280-E282.
  • Mel Krajden Alam MS, Smith LW, Gondara L, et al. HPV testing versus cytology for cervical cancer screening among women 50 years and older: evidence from the HPV FOCAL randomized controlled trial. Int J Cancer. 2026.
  • Sandrine A.M. Mérette Ellefsen KN, Karschner EL, Mérette SAM, et al. An enduring threat: NPS benzodiazepines in forensic and clinical toxicology from 2021 to 2025. J Anal Toxicol. 2026;50(6):bkag026.
  • Muhammad Golam Morshed 1. Riopel ND, Andrievskaia O, DeWith NI, et al. Animal-adapted tuberculosis strains – a one-world problem, a one health solution? Curr Infect Dis Rep. 2026;28(1):16.
    2. Iwasawa S, Stewart Q, Coatsworth H, et al. Detections of Babesia odocoilei in Ixodes pacificus and Babesia microti in Ixodes angustus ticks in British Columbia, Canada. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2026;26(7):433-435.
  • Prital G. Patel Aung HL, Patel P, Gray RT, et al. Sustained viral suppression among people with HIV in the era of Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U) in Australia. AIDS. 2026;40(8):1152-1160.
  • Natalie A. Prystajecky Boyd E, Liu C, Kearney A, et al. Using whole genome sequencing to investigate routes of transmission of Salmonella Dublin to British Columbian dairy farms. Prev Vet Med. 2026;254:106938.
  • Shannon L. Russell Boyd E, Liu C, Kearney A, et al. Using whole genome sequencing to investigate routes of transmission of Salmonella Dublin to British Columbian dairy farms. Prev Vet Med. 2026;254:106938.
  • Inna Sekirov Riopel ND, Andrievskaia O, DeWith NI, et al. Animal-adapted tuberculosis strains – a one-world problem, a one health solution? Curr Infect Dis Rep. 2026;28(1):16.

BC Children's Hospital and Children's & Women's Health Centre

  • Vijay J. Gadkar Amaral G, Gadkar VJ, Almodahka A, et al. Performance of the Xpert Xpress Strep A for detection of Streptococcus pyogenes from pediatric pleural fluids. Microbiol Spectr. 2026;14(6).
  • David M. Goldfarb 1. Strysko J, Hu W, Mochankana K, et al. Integrated epidemiologic investigation and genomic confirmation of a Klebsiella pneumoniae neonatal sepsis outbreak in Botswana. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2026;6(6):e0006468.
    2. Espín E, Yang C, Shannon CP, et al. Pilot longitudinal integrated transcriptomic–metabolomic study reveals immune and metabolic signatures in non-hospitalized healthcare workers with long COVID. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2026;16:1808564.
    3. Amaral G, Gadkar VJ, Almodahka A, et al. Performance of the Xpert Xpress Strep A for detection of Streptococcus pyogenes from pediatric pleural fluids. Microbiol Spectr. 2026;14(6).
  • Ramon I. Klein Geltink Oh JH, Yang LF, Tanaka E, et al. Versatile electroporation protocols enable reproducible CRISPR-RNP delivery across multiple primary mouse cells of the hematopoietic lineage. Front Immunol. 2026;17:1820963.
  • Philipp F. Lange Ergin EK, Conrrero A, Ferguson KM, Lange PF. ProteoForge: an imputation-aware framework for differential proteoform discovery in bottom-up proteomics. J Proteome Res. 2026;25(7):3384-3398.
  • Lynne Li Amaral G, Gadkar VJ, Almodahka A, et al. Performance of the Xpert Xpress Strep A for detection of Streptococcus pyogenes from pediatric pleural fluids. Microbiol Spectr. 2026;14(6).

St. Paul's Hospital

  • Christopher F. Lowe 1. Finlayson-Trick ECL, Alenazi AF, Jia YZ, et al. Phormia regina fly as vector for Ignatzschineria spp. bacteremia in persons experiencing homelessness, Canada, 2025. Emerg Infect Dis. 2026;32(7):1150-1154.
    2. Alhothli B, Payne M, Stefanovic A, et al. Overuse of a molecular infectious diarrhea panel in acute care: an opportunity for diagnostic stewardship. Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2026;6(1):e187.
  • Honglin Luo Wang Z, Mohamud Y, Luo H. Genetic factors contributing to viral myocarditis. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2026;90(2):e0035725.
  • Nancy A. Matic 1. Finlayson-Trick ECL, Alenazi AF, Jia YZ, et al. Phormia regina fly as vector for Ignatzschineria spp. bacteremia in persons experiencing homelessness, Canada, 2025. Emerg Infect Dis. 2026;32(7):1150-1154.
    2. Alhothli B, Payne M, Stefanovic A, et al. Overuse of a molecular infectious diarrhea panel in acute care: an opportunity for diagnostic stewardship. Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2026;6(1):e187.
  • Yasir Mohamud Wang Z, Mohamud Y, Luo H. Genetic factors contributing to viral myocarditis. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2026;90(2):e0035725.
  • Michael Payne 1. Finlayson-Trick ECL, Alenazi AF, Jia YZ, et al. Phormia regina fly as vector for Ignatzschineria spp. bacteremia in persons experiencing homelessness, Canada, 2025. Emerg Infect Dis. 2026;32(7):1150-1154.
    2. Alhothli B, Payne M, Stefanovic A, et al. Overuse of a molecular infectious diarrhea panel in acute care: an opportunity for diagnostic stewardship. Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2026;6(1):e187.
  • Gordon Ritchie Finlayson-Trick ECL, Alenazi AF, Jia YZ, et al. Phormia regina fly as vector for Ignatzschineria spp. bacteremia in persons experiencing homelessness, Canada, 2025. Emerg Infect Dis. 2026;32(7):1150-1154.
  • Marc G. Romney 1. Finlayson-Trick ECL, Alenazi AF, Jia YZ, et al. Phormia regina fly as vector for Ignatzschineria spp. bacteremia in persons experiencing homelessness, Canada, 2025. Emerg Infect Dis. 2026;32(7):1150-1154.
    2. Alhothli B, Payne M, Stefanovic A, et al. Overuse of a molecular infectious diarrhea panel in acute care: an opportunity for diagnostic stewardship. Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2026;6(1):e187.
  • Janet E. Simons Patey AM, Sivashanmugathas V, Hurwitz G, et al. Evaluating a quality improvement learning collaborative: qualitative evaluation of Using Labs Wisely. BMJ Open Qual. 2026;15(2).
  • Aleksandra Stefanović 1. Finlayson-Trick ECL, Alenazi AF, Jia YZ, et al. Phormia regina fly as vector for Ignatzschineria spp. bacteremia in persons experiencing homelessness, Canada, 2025. Emerg Infect Dis. 2026;32(7):1150-1154.
    2. Alhothli B, Payne M, Stefanovic A, et al. Overuse of a molecular infectious diarrhea panel in acute care: an opportunity for diagnostic stewardship. Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2026;6(1):e187.

Vancouver General Hospital

  • Andrew M. Churg 1. Sallé FG, Beasley MB, Brcic L, et al. Update on pleural epithelioid mesothelioma: new insights for diagnosis and patient management. J Thorac Oncol. 2026;21(7):103720.
    2. Minkley M, Ravasia K, Nghiem T, et al. TROP2 immunoreactivity in pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. Histopathology. 2026.
  • Sakara Hutspardol Shopsowitz KE, Guo R, Chan G, et al. ROTEM versus conventional coagulation tests in evaluating coagulopathy and transfusion requirement in ECMO patients: a retrospective study. Perfusion. 2026.
  • Suefay Harumi Liu Colucci N, Giannou AD, Liu SH, et al. Management of cystic echinococcosis in British Columbia: outcomes and suggestions to improve guideline adherence. Can J Surg. 2026;69(3):E280-E282.
  • Ian R. Mackenzie Olzinski M, Downer J, Cobigo Y, et al. Clinical associations of cerebrospinal fluid TMEM106B in familial and sporadic frontotemporal dementia. JAMA Neurol. 2026.
  • Julia R. Naso 1. Abdulhaleem K, Zhang AW, Ng T, et al. Unusual morphologic features in molecularly defined high-grade sarcomas of the uterus. Ann Diagn Pathol. 2026;85:152673.
    2. Minkley M, Ravasia K, Nghiem T, et al. TROP2 immunoreactivity in pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. Histopathology. 2026.
  • Tony L.T. Ng Abdulhaleem K, Zhang AW, Ng T, et al. Unusual morphologic features in molecularly defined high-grade sarcomas of the uterus. Ann Diagn Pathol. 2026;85:152673.
  • Torsten O. Nielsen Wang Y, Drubay D, Jonas SF, et al. Including tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes into the PREDICT prognostic model for triple-negative breast cancer survival. Ann Oncol. 2026.
  • Kristine J. Roland Shopsowitz KE, Guo R, Chan G, et al. ROTEM versus conventional coagulation tests in evaluating coagulopathy and transfusion requirement in ECMO patients: a retrospective study. Perfusion. 2026.
  • David F. Schaeffer Schaeffer DF, Chan J, Morin J, et al. Strengthening biomarker research in Canadian cancer clinical trials: a pathology-focused white paper. Curr Oncol. 2026;33(6):347.
  • Karen R. Sherwood Harriman D, Ng A, Bronowski M, et al. Urobiome composition after renal transplantation: an exploratory study. BMC Microbiol. 2026;26(1):565.
  • Kevin E. Shopsowitz Shopsowitz KE, Guo R, Chan G, et al. ROTEM versus conventional coagulation tests in evaluating coagulopathy and transfusion requirement in ECMO patients: a retrospective study. Perfusion. 2026.
  • Tyler W. Smith Shopsowitz KE, Guo R, Chan G, et al. ROTEM versus conventional coagulation tests in evaluating coagulopathy and transfusion requirement in ECMO patients: a retrospective study. Perfusion. 2026.
  • Stephen T.K. Yip 1. Husereau D, Servidio-Italiano F, D'Angelo MS, et al. Readiness to consider and adopt genetic and genomic tests in Canada—an update to the State of Readiness report. Curr Oncol. 2026;33(6):334.
    2. Toyota PR, Hounjet CD, Liu E, et al. Tumor-to-tumor metastasis involving vestibular schwannoma: case report and literature review. Otol Neurotol. 2026.

UBC Hospital

  • Hélène C.F. Côté Mirrazavi SS, Magagula P, Swann SA, et al. Examining mental health, social support and resilience among immigrant women living with HIV in the British Columbia CARMA-CHIWOS Collaboration (BCC3) study. AIDS Behav. 2026.

UBC Centre for Blood Research

  • Jayachandran N. Kizhakkedathu Rana MM, Withers SG, Choy JC, Kizhakkedathu JN. Glycan-encoded immune checkpoints and allorecognition: a mechanistic framework for transplantation and organ engineering. Front Transplant. 2026;5.
  • James C. Zimring Issaian AV, Dzieciatkowska M, Bevers S, et al. The red blood cell proteome and interactome identify a Band 3–BLVRB axis regulating hypoxic metabolic adaptation. Blood. 2026.

Royal Columbian Hospital

  • Matthew Tak Sheng Yan Keller MA, Powley T, Lomas-Francis C, et al. Survey of national and regional rare donor programmes regarding immunoglobulin A deficiency. Vox Sang. 2026.

Royal Jubilee Hospital, Victoria

  • Gwen M. Clarke Keller MA, Powley T, Lomas-Francis C, et al. Survey of national and regional rare donor programmes regarding immunoglobulin A deficiency. Vox Sang. 2026.
  • Antonio Subtil Subtil A. Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm. J Cutan Pathol. 2026.

Vancouver Island Health Authority (Community)

  • Steven H. Kleinman Hendrickson JE, Birch RJ, Rowley EAK, et al. Red blood cell transfusion characteristics and morbidity or mortality in very-low-birth-weight infants. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(6):e2619301.

Kelowna General Hospital

  • Ellen Cai Abdulhaleem K, Zhang AW, Ng T, et al. Unusual morphologic features in molecularly defined high-grade sarcomas of the uterus. Ann Diagn Pathol. 2026;85:152673.

LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services

  • Miguel Imperial Amaral G, Gadkar VJ, Almodahka A, et al. Performance of the Xpert Xpress Strep A for detection of Streptococcus pyogenes from pediatric pleural fluids. Microbiol Spectr. 2026;14(6).

Simon Fraser University

  • Ryan D. Morin 1. Qureshi QUA, Coyle KM, Brown C, et al. HNRNPU mutations redirect cell cycle control to E2F in MYC-driven lymphomas. Blood Adv. 2026;10(13):4828-4841.
    2. Siciliano MC, Bertolazzi G, Glaser S, et al. Immune disparities in the TME of EBV+ and EBV− BL: role of reactive oxygen species generation pathways and platelet activation. Blood Adv. 2026;10(12):4390-4394.
    3. Hilton LK, Gillis S, Y-Moayyed F, et al. LySeqST: a targeted sequencing assay for robust genomic classification of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Blood Adv. 2026;10(12):4208-4214.
    4. Dreval K, Hilton LK, Grande BM, et al. LCR-modules: a collection of workflows for cancer genome analysis. Bioinformatics. 2026;42(6):btag366.

Dr. Muhammad Morshed Discusses Rising Rates of Anaplasmosis on CTV

Dr. Muhammad Morshed, Clinical Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Program Head at the BC Centre for Disease Control Public Health Laboratory, appeared on CTV Your Morning Vancouver to discuss anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease with rising case numbers in Canada and the United States.

In the segment, Dr. Morshed outlines what the increase means for people who spend time outdoors, including campers and hikers, and how the infection is transmitted and identified.

The interview is available to watch on CTV News.

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

Faculty of Medicine Artificial Intelligence Strategy

Faculty of Medicine Launches AI Strategy and Resource Hub

The UBC Faculty of Medicine has launched a new Artificial Intelligence Strategy and online resource hub for faculty, staff and learners. The strategy provides a coordinated approach to the responsible use, integration and stewardship of AI across teaching and learning, research and innovation, and administrative work.

The strategy’s vision is to advance health through human-centred and responsible AI. Its guiding principles emphasize maintaining human judgement and accountability, supporting ethical and equitable use, strengthening AI literacy and critical thinking, integrating AI purposefully in education, and continuing to evaluate new technologies as they evolve.

The online hub brings together guidance on AI literacy, privacy and security, teaching, workplace use and available training. Users are reminded to review and verify AI-generated content and not to enter personal, confidential or protected health information into unapproved AI tools.

Key resources:

Microsoft Copilot at UBC

UBC IT has also announced that Copilot Chat is currently available to eligible UBC users through the university’s Microsoft 365 environment. Microsoft 365 Copilot Premium, a paid service offering deeper integration with Microsoft 365 applications and authorized work content, is expected to become available to eligible faculty and staff by fall 2026. Further information about pricing, eligibility and the request process will be provided as part of the rollout.

Learn more about Microsoft Copilot at UBC.

UBC Announces Upcoming Changes to OneDrive Storage

UBC IT will introduce new OneDrive storage limits beginning this fall. Students will move to a 100 GB limit on October 1, 2026. Faculty and staff with A3 Microsoft 365 licences will move to a 200 GB limit in fall or winter 2026, while A1 licence holders—including non-salaried clinical faculty, service workers and contractors—will move to a 100 GB limit.

Accounts that exceed the applicable limit will become read-only until storage is reduced. Users will still be able to view, download and delete files, but they will not be able to upload new files or edit existing files in OneDrive.

UBC IT recommends reviewing OneDrive storage now and removing duplicate, outdated or unnecessary files. Additional information about implementation timelines and options for purchasing extra storage is expected in the coming months.

Review the OneDrive storage changes and cleanup guidance.

HRF 2026 Health System Solutions Grant Program

The Health Research Foundation has launched its 2026 Health System Solutions Grant Program, a national funding opportunity supporting applied research to improve patient access to innovative medicines and strengthen health system performance across Canada.

The competition focuses on two areas: health system factors affecting the real-world use and outcomes of innovative medicines, and the coherence and performance of review and reimbursement processes. Funding is available through two streams: up to $50,000 over six to 12 months for smaller, targeted projects, and up to $250,000 over 18 to 24 months for larger applied projects.

The Letter of Intent stage closed on July 22, 2026. LOI decisions are scheduled for August 4, and shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit full applications by September 16. Funding decisions are expected on October 20.

Program information and application materials:

Applications Open for High-Throughput Genomics Workshop

Canadian Bioinformatics Workshops will offer a three-day, onsite High-Throughput Genomics workshop in Vancouver from November 4 to 6, 2026.

Designed for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows and investigators working with high-throughput sequencing data, the workshop will cover sequence quality assessment, reference genome mapping, variant identification, de novo genome assembly and the integration of biological context with sequence information. Hands-on lab practicals will be included throughout the workshop.

The workshop will be led by Dr. Ido Hatam and Dr. Erin Pleasance. UNIX familiarity is required, and participants must bring a laptop and complete assigned pre-workshop tasks and readings.

Registration is limited to 28 participants. The fee is CAD $864 for applications submitted by September 4 and CAD $1,064 for applications submitted between September 5 and the final deadline of October 22.

View workshop details and apply.

New BC Cancer Centre in Kamloops to Expand Radiation Treatment in the Interior

A new BC Cancer centre in Kamloops will allow more patients in the Interior to receive radiation treatment closer to home. The centre is targeted to open in 2028, and BC Cancer has begun encouraging prospective candidates to learn about the positions that will be needed to staff it.

Recruitment is expected to span a wide range of disciplines, including clinical care, radiation therapy, medical physics, nursing and Indigenous Patient Navigator roles.

Further information on upcoming opportunities is available on the BC Cancer – Kamloops careers page, which also offers a newsletter for updates as positions become available.

Weekly Province-wide Pathology Rounds

Summer Schedule Note

Province-wide Pathology Rounds will pause for the summer and will resume in September 2026.

Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, helped organize and supported this year’s rounds. We are grateful for your participation and engagement throughout the academic year.

🔁 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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