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Welcome to Pathology's Bi-Weekly Bulletin | June 26, 2026

Dr. David Huntsman Receives Life Sciences BC Award

Congratulations to Dr. David Huntsman, Professor in the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, who has received the Scientific Entrepreneurship Award from Life Sciences BC.

The award is part of the 28th Annual Life Sciences BC Awards, which recognize outstanding individuals and organizations advancing health innovation across British Columbia.

Award recipients will be honoured at the Life Sciences BC Awards Gala on September 9, 2026, at the Vancouver Convention Centre West.

Read more on the Life Sciences BC website.

Congratulations to Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine congratulates Dr. Cornelia Laule and Dr. Bruce Verchere, who are among this year’s recipients of the Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement Awards.

Dr. Laule, jointly appointed in Radiology and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, received the award for Advancement of Equity, Diversity and Inclusiveness. Dr. Verchere, jointly appointed in Surgery and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, received the award for Overall Excellence — Senior Faculty.

Read more about the 2026 recipients on the Faculty of Medicine website.

Congratulations to Dr. James Lan and Dr. Karen Sherwood

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine congratulates Dr. James Lan and Dr. Karen Sherwood, who are among the 2026 recipients of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Innovation and Translational Research Awards.

These awards support investigators whose work is advancing new knowledge, bringing research into clinical settings and developing innovations with the potential to improve health care and patient outcomes.

Dr. Lan, Assistant Professor in the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, was recognized for his project on the precision diagnosis of microvascular inflammation in kidney transplantation. His research will use advanced imaging and blood-based analyses to better understand immune-related injury in transplanted kidneys, with the goal of supporting more targeted treatment strategies and improving transplant outcomes.

Dr. Sherwood, Clinical Associate Professor in the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, was recognized for her project on integrating sex and sex hormones into transplantation precision medicine. Her research will examine how hormones and immune system factors influence outcomes following stem cell transplantation, with the goal of supporting more personalized and equitable approaches to care.

Read more about the 2026 recipients on the VCHRI website.

Dr. Jonathan Bush Receives BCCHR Investigator Establishment Award

Congratulations to Dr. Bush, who has received a BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) Investigator Establishment Award.

The award provides up to $200,000 over three years, from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029, to support the establishment and development of the recipient’s research program.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Bush on this achievement.

Drs. Jenny Tran and James Lan Receive TTS Mentee-Mentor Award

Congratulations to Dr. Jenny Tran, Clinical Assistant Professor, and Dr. James Lan, Assistant Professor, in the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, who have been selected to receive the 2026 TTS International Basic and Translational Sciences Mentee-Mentor Award.

The award recognizes the excellence of their abstract, “Impact of different eplet matching strategies on the feasibility and equity of eplet based kidney allocation”.

The award will be presented during the 31st International Congress of The Transplantation Society, taking place September 20–23, 2026, in Sydney, Australia.

Genomic test co-invented by UBC researchers can help millions of breast cancer patients safely avoid chemotherapy

A genomic test co-invented and co-developed by Dr. Torsten Nielsen, Professor in the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, could help many people with breast cancer safely avoid unnecessary chemotherapy.

The findings come from a major international clinical trial involving more than 4,400 patients with high-risk breast cancer and highlight the growing impact of precision medicine in cancer care.

Read more on UBC News.

Medical Biochemistry: Specialty Update

The past year has brought significant developments for Medical Biochemistry in Canada. Most notably, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada formally approved the reclassification of Medical Biochemistry from a subspecialty to a primary specialty on June 1, 2026. The specialty is now developing its Competence-by-Design (CBD) curriculum, with recruitment through the primary entry route expected to begin in 2029.

At the national level, the Canadian Association of Medical Biochemists (CAMB) published five new Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations during this term, including two developed in collaboration with the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Three medical biochemists - Drs. Manal Elnenaei (Dalhousie), Janet Simons, and Li Wang (UBC-affiliated) - were invited by the Canada Drug Agency to serve on an advisory panel examining minimum testing intervals for five commonly ordered tests: ANA, TSH, lipase, serum protein electrophoresis, and HbA1c.

Dr. Li Wang (BC Children's Hospital) received a CAMB leadership award at the annual conference held on May 26- 29, 2026 at Manoir Saint-Sauveur, QC, recognizing her contributions to the specialty during her four-year tenure as CAMB President.

Farewell and Best Wishes to Dr. Amanda Bradley

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine extends sincere thanks and best wishes to Dr. Amanda Bradley as she retires at the end of this month.

Dr. Bradley has been a valued faculty member in the Department since 2002 and has made significant contributions to undergraduate education, particularly through the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMLSc) Program. She served as Director of the BMLSc Program from 2013 to 2023 and has been deeply committed to supporting students, staff, fellow teachers, the Program and the Department.

Her dedication to teaching and learning has been recognized through numerous awards, including the Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement in Education Award, the Killam Teaching Prize, the Department of Pathology Award for Excellence in Education, and the BMLSc Graduates’ Choice Award for Teaching Excellence.

Please join us in thanking Dr. Bradley for her many years of service and in wishing her all the very best in retirement.

Recently Published Work

The Department is now using Scopus to help keep faculty CV publication records up to date. Each month, publication data are extracted from Scopus and imported into FAD. Below is a selection of recently published work identified since April 15, 2026.

• Enfield, Katey S. S.
  Pich O, Ward S, Rowan A, Enfield KSS, et al. Somatic evolution following cancer treatment in normal tissue. Nature. 2026;653:900-910.
• Enfield, Katey S. S.
  Hessey S, Bunkum A, Huebner A, Enfield KSS, et al. Evolutionary characterization of lung cancer metastasis. Nature. 2026 May;653(8115):911-922. doi: 10.1038/s41586-026-10428-4. Epub 2026 Apr 29. PMID: 42056508; PMCID: PMC13190308.
• Morin, Ryan D.
  Fischer BA, Khameneh HJ, Guerra J, Morin R, Scott DW, et al. Regulatory factor X 7 limits Myc activity during B cell activation and suppresses Myc-dependent lymphomagenesis. Nat Immunol. 2026 Jun 1. doi: 10.1038/s41590-026-02526-2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42225953.
• Bush, Jon; Huntsman, David G.; Wang, Yemin; Roth, Andrew J.
  Kommoss FKF, Zhang JYH, Lynch BJ, Bush J, Roth A, Wang Y, Huntsman DG, et al. Spatial single cell transcriptomic analysis informs tumor developmental hierarchy of DICER1 syndrome related sarcoma. Nat Commun. 2026 Mar 30;17(1):4608. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70971-6. PMID: 41912509; PMCID: PMC13199431.
• Klein Geltink, Ramon I.
  Huerta Arana M, Klapproth H, Stanczak MA, Klein Geltink RI, et al. A STAT1/ETC/GBP1 axis represents a potential therapeutic target for noncommunicable granulomatous skin disease. Sci Adv. 2026 May 29;12(22):eaea0773. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aea0773. PMID: 42213834; PMCID: PMC13220867.
• Ionescu, Diana N.
  Aldea M, Lenahan SM, Locquet MA, Ionescu DN, et al. MTAP loss is frequent in oncogene-driven NSCLC and may confer sensitivity to combined PRMT5 inhibitors and targeted therapies. Ann Oncol. 2026 Jul;37(7):946-959. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2026.03.001. Epub 2026 Mar 14. PMID: 41833902; PMCID: PMC13010384.
• Ionescu, Diana N.
  Melosky B, Juergens RA, Chu QSC, Ionescu DN, et al. Targeting common EGFR mutations in non-small cell lung cancer: a review of global phase 3 trials of third-generation inhibitors. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2026 May 1;118(5):789-810. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djag008. PMID: 41512290.
• Sorensen, Poul H.
  Draper B, You Z, Thompson D, Sorensen PH, et al. MIF-CD74 signaling drives immune modulation in medulloblastoma. Neuro Oncol. 2026 May 1;28(5):1316-1334. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noag020. PMID: 41652893; PMCID: PMC13186457.
• Gao, Zu-Hua
  Khan F, Polydorides AD, Paulsen JD, Gao ZH, et al. Enteroblastic and Hepatoid Colorectal Carcinomas are Aggressive Cancers With a Distinctive Immunophenotype, While Clear Cell Carcinoma Appears to Represent Clear Cell Change in Conventional Colorectal Cancer. Am J Surg Pathol. 2026 Apr 21. doi: 10.1097/PAS.0000000000002555. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42012857.
• Gao, Zu-Hua
  Tang LYW, Gao ZH. Emergency department narratives for early risk stratification of serious disposition in older adults after falls: a survival modelling study with external validation. Int J Med Inform. 2026 Sep 1;217:106481.
• Farinha, Pedro M. S.; Slack, Graham W.
  Kurz KS, Ondrejka SL, Collinge B, Slack GW, Farinha P, et al. Challenges in Diagnosing High-grade B-cell Lymphoma, NOS: Poor Interobserver Agreement on Its Morphologic Definition—An LLMPP Study. Am J Surg Pathol. 2026. Accepted/in press.
• Farinha, Pedro M. S.
  Torlakovic E, Akhter A, Shawwa A, Farinha P, et al. Solving the Puzzle of Hans' Algorithm (HA) Methodological Shortcomings: Canadian Harmonization of Hans' Algorithm for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and Development of Fit-for-Purpose Modified Hans' Algorithm (mHA). Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2026 Apr 20. doi: 10.1097/PAI.0000000000001324. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42008333.
• Hirsch-Reinshagen, Veronica
  Futhey NC, Vila-Rodriguez F, Stochmanski SJ, Hirsch-Reinshagen V, et al. Integrated clinical and postmortem profiling in schizophrenia reveals a cognitive subtype linked to cerebrovascular disease. Transl Psychiatry. 2026 Apr 9;16(1):262. doi: 10.1038/s41398-026-03984-w. PMID: 41956990; PMCID: PMC13183976.
• Lan, James
  Yang C, Huh WT, Shechter S, Lan J. The impact of organ blood type conversion on kidney paired donation: A simulation and optimization study. Am J Transplant. 2026 Apr 21. In press.
• Reyes, Romina C.
  Skowronski DM, Ranadheera C, Kaweski SE, Reyes RC, et al. Cross-reactive H5N1 Neuraminidase Antibodies by Age and Influenza A Imprinting Cohorts of the Past Century: Population-Based Serosurvey, British Columbia, Canada. J Infect Dis. 2026 May 15;233(5):e1273-e1284. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiag030. PMID: 41542940; PMCID: PMC13175612.
• Jassem, Agatha N.
  Skowronski DM, Zhan Y, Kaweski SE, Jassem AN, et al. Interim 2025/26 LP.8.1 vaccine effectiveness estimates against COVID-19 from the Canadian Sentinel Practitioner Surveillance Network (SPSN): insights into possible impact of influenza and other respiratory virus co-circulation. Euro Surveill. 2026;31(18):2600331. Link.
• Jassem, Agatha N.; Márquez, Ana Citlali
  Nanishi E, Hwang M, Márquez AC, Jassem AN, et al. Preexisting Humoral Immunity Against Seasonal Coronaviruses Enhances Antibody Responses on SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2026 May;13(5):ofag232. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofag232.
• Jassem, Agatha N.; Patel, Prital G.
  Irvine MA, Harder K, Patel P, Jassem A, et al. Mobility between communities can reduce the impact of measles intervention during an outbreak: a mathematical modeling study. Front Public Health. 2026 May 14;14:1794929. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1794929. PMID: 42221632; PMCID: PMC13216455.
• Laule, Cornelia
  Laule C, Cohen-Adad J, North American Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis (NAIMS) Cooperative, et al. Spinal cord imaging for multiple sclerosis: Advances, priorities, and opportunities. Mult Scler. 2026. OnlineFirst. doi: 10.1177/1352458526144460.
• Laule, Cornelia
  Kalau O, Johnson P, Oh J, Laule C, et al. Myelin damage in radiologically isolated syndrome is associated with decreased processing speed. Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin. 2026 May 15;12(2):20552173261446217. doi: 10.1177/20552173261446217. PMID: 42153200; PMCID: PMC13180136.
• Morshed, Muhammad G.; Hogan, Catherine A.; Goldfarb, David M.
  Hogan CA, Su LD, Laley J, Morshed MG, Goldfarb DM, et al. Test performance of a commercial cryptococcal antigen lateral flow assay: a retrospective and prospective study at five Canadian sites. J Clin Microbiol. 2026 Apr 22. doi: 10.1128/jcm.01438-25.
• Masud, Shazia
  Rohrs E, Ornowska M, Wittmann J, Masud S, et al. Suppression of microbial burden to reduce pneumonia in critical illness: the SMURF feasibility pilot study. Crit Care. 2026 Apr 7;30(1):268. doi: 10.1186/s13054-026-06008-7. PMID: 41947247; PMCID: PMC13188338.
• Clarke, Gwen M.
  Kurach J, Brandon-Coatham M, William N, Clarke G, Acker JP, et al. Hold on to your units: Quality of red cell concentrates is only affected after multiple transient warming events. Transfusion. 2026 Jun;66(6):1180-1191. doi: 10.1111/trf.70253. Epub 2026 May 4. PMID: 42083450; PMCID: PMC13250346.
• Spence, Tara; Yip, Stephen; McGinnis, Eric
  Parlow JNC, Salcedo-Porras N, AlBulushi F, Yip S, McGinnis E, Spence T. Comparative Evaluation of Comprehensive DNA and RNA Sequencing Platforms with Subsequent Clinical Validation for Hematolymphoid Malignancies. Cancers (Basel). 2026 May 12;18(10):1565. doi: 10.3390/cancers18101565. PMID: 42192925; PMCID: PMC13204573.
• McGinnis, Eric
  Xia YH, McGinnis E. Immunophenotypic, Genetic, and Clinical Features Associated With RUNX1 Mutation in Acute Leukemias and Chronic Myeloid Neoplasms. Int J Lab Hematol. 2026 May 15. doi: 10.1111/ijlh.70145. Epub ahead of print.
• Bahmanyar, Mohammad
  Muir P, Bahmanyar M, Nicolson H, Merkeley H. Beta Thalassemia and Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Dual Diagnosis Under the Microscope. Int J Lab Hematol. 2026 May 10. doi: 10.1111/ijlh.70142. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42108582.
• Terry, Jefferson
  Kailasam S, Fayek B, Bedaiwy MA, Terry J. Molecular spatial profiling of chronic intervillositis of unknown etiology implies aberrant lipid metabolism. Placenta. 2026 Jun 24;181:211-219. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2026.05.025. Epub 2026 May 23. PMID: 42202512.
• Orton, Dennis J.
  Lithgow KC, Mann JA, Starreveld Y, Orton D, et al. Modest sensitivity of 24 h urine free cortisol LC-MS/MS to detect Cushing's disease. Clin Biochem. 2026 Jun 2:111147. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2026.111147. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42235845.
• Hoang, Linda M. N.
  Demirsoy E, Parkin TI, Mihalynuk SE, Hoang LMN, et al. Efficacy and safety evaluation of artificial intelligence-identified antimicrobial peptides targeting avian pathogenic Escherichia coli in broiler chickens. J Anim Sci Biotechnol. 2026. doi: 10.1186/s40104-026-01417-8.
• Hall, Allison
  Byemerwa J, Neish D, Olunuga E, Hall A, et al. Association of cumulative lifetime estrogen exposure and reproductive factors with breast cancer molecular subtype among Nigerian women in the MEND study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2026;217:40. doi: 10.1007/s10549-026-07986-6.
• Granville, David James
  Aldien AS, McMullen E, Huang C, Granville DJ, Khosravi-Hafshejani T. Skin in the claim: United States patenting process and tips for dermatologists. J Invest Dermatol. 2026 May 12:S0022-202X(26)01027-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2026.03.031. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42126383.
• Moshref Razavi, Habib; Purych, Dale; Yeung, Wilson
  Moshref Razavi H, Purych D, Yeung W. A 51-year-old man with tick-borne relapsing fever. CMAJ. 2026 May 19. Epub ahead of print.
• Bashashati, Ali
  Mishra V, Jayant S, Dash A, Bashashati A, et al. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Diagnostic Pathology: A Systematic Review of Applications, Challenges, and Clinical Implications. Cureus. 2026 Mar 13;18(3):e105167. doi: 10.7759/cureus.105167. PMID: 41994757; PMCID: PMC13081201.
• Guillaud, Martial; MacAulay, Calum
  Inaba F, Keyes M, MacAulay C, Guillaud M. Instance scoring via distillation of multiple instance classifiers for interpretable digital pathology. Proc SPIE. 2026 Apr 2;13932. doi: 10.1117/12.3087751.
• Belanger, Eric C.
  Desaigoudar V, Vassallo R, Namekawa T, Belanger EC, et al. An ex vivo analysis of prostate cancer using shear-wave elastography and micro-ultrasound. Proc SPIE. 2026 Apr 2;13931. doi: 10.1117/12.3085885.

Medical Microbiology Graduation Dinner

On June 9, the Medical Microbiology Program held a graduation dinner to celebrate its graduating residents and fellows.

The evening brought together Medical Microbiology faculty, trainees and staff to recognize the accomplishments, hard work and dedication of the graduating class.

The gathering was enjoyed by all and served as a fitting conclusion to another successful academic year for the program.

Call for Applications: 2026 UBC AI and Health Network Fellows Program

The UBC AI and Health Network has launched the 2026 Fellows Program, which supports postdoctoral fellows conducting interdisciplinary research and activities at the intersection of artificial intelligence and health.

The program enables principal investigators to recruit, mentor and support fellows whose work aligns with the Network’s core focus areas, including clinical practice and patient experience, biomedical innovation and translational sciences, data sharing and privacy, end-user acceptance of AI in health care, and province-wide education, training and upskilling.

For the 2026 cycle, applications are welcomed through the general AI and health stream, a cancer-specific stream supported by the BC Cancer Foundation, and projects focused on province-wide education, training and upskilling.

Applications are due by 12:00 pm PT (noon) on July 7, 2026.

Full program details, eligibility and application information are available on the Fellows Program webpage. Previously awarded projects can be viewed here.

Questions can be directed to ai.healthnetwork@ubc.ca.

Join the 2026-27 Clinical Faculty Mentoring Program – Applications Now Open

Applications are now open for the 2026–27 Faculty of Medicine Clinical Faculty Mentoring Program, which connects clinical faculty members across the Faculty of Medicine to support professional growth, career development and meaningful professional connections.

The seven-month program runs from October 2026 to April 2027 and provides mentors and mentees with the flexibility to establish learning goals and meet in a format that best supports the mentee's development.

Application deadline: July 17, 2026

Apply to become a mentee
Apply to become a mentor

For program details, eligibility and additional information, visit the Clinical Faculty Mentoring Program webpage.

Funding Opportunity: Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan)

Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan) is implementing changes to its application process this year. Previously, PacifiCan accepted proposals on a rolling basis using a two-stage process. Starting this year, PacifiCan will issue Calls for Proposals twice annually — one in mid-June and one in the fall — with applicants submitting full proposals only.

Applicants are expected to have a six-week turnaround time from the release of each application call to the submission deadline. The specific 2026–2027 priorities will be outlined in the application call and are expected to align with PacifiCan’s 2026–2028 Strategic Plan.

PacifiCan’s strategic priorities include investing in B.C.’s strengths, supporting opportunities related to major projects and strategic sectors, and helping businesses grow exports and diversify markets.

More information is available in the PacifiCan 2026 to 2028 Strategic Plan.

Potential applicants may contact PacifiCan program officers to discuss project concepts and assess alignment with PacifiCan priorities:
Email: info@pacifican.gc.ca
Phone: (604) 666-6256

For questions about UBC’s internal process, please contact Andy Lam at andy.lam@ubc.ca.

Career Opportunity: Chief Medical Leader, Laboratory Services

The Provincial Health Services Authority is recruiting for a Chief Medical Leader (CML), Laboratory Services. This is a part-time opportunity based in British Columbia.

Interested candidates can view the posting and apply through LinkedIn.

Coaching for UBC Staff and Faculty

UBC Coaching Services offers support for faculty and staff who would like to focus on their professional goals and development. Coaching is available in areas such as leadership, career development, health and wellbeing, conflict and change.

Coaching is an inquiry-based process that supports goal-setting, accountability and action. Services include individual, group and custom coaching partnerships.

Learn more on the UBC Human Resources 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!