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Welcome to Pathology's Bi-Weekly Bulletin | September 04, 2026

Dr. Muhammad Morshed Retires After Nearly 30 Years of Service

Dr. Muhammad Morshed will retire at the end of September after nearly 30 years of service at the BCCDC and UBC, and more than four decades in clinical microbiology.

Since 1997, Dr. Morshed has served as Program Head of Zoonotic and Emerging Pathogens at the BCCDC Public Health Laboratory. He is also a Clinical Professor in UBC’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. His work has advanced public health surveillance, outbreak investigation and diagnostic testing for Lyme disease, syphilis, West Nile virus, Zika virus and other emerging infectious diseases.

Throughout his career, Dr. Morshed has also made important contributions as a researcher, educator and mentor to students, trainees and colleagues. His many honours include the Distinguished Microbiologist Award from the Canadian College of Microbiologists and the Department’s David Hardwick Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Morshed’s colleagues at the BCCDC are organizing an informal get-together to mark his retirement. We thank him for his outstanding contributions to public health, microbiology and education, and wish him all the best in retirement.

Dr. Inna Sekirov Receives BCCHR Investigator Establishment Award

Congratulations to Dr. Inna Sekirov, Clinical Associate Professor in UBC’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, on receiving a BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute Investigator Establishment Award.

The award will provide up to $100,000 over three years, from September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2029. It will support Dr. Sekirov in establishing and expanding her child health research program at BCCHR.

This funding builds on the 20% protected research time recently awarded to Dr. Sekirov by the Department. Congratulations to Dr. Sekirov on these important achievements!

Dr. Inna Sekirov and Dr. Tara Spence Awarded CSCAP

Congratulations to Dr. Inna Sekirov and Dr. Tara Spence on both being awarded the Department’s Clinician Scientist Career Acceleration Program (CSCAP). The CSCAP program is for laboratory clinicians from any branch of PALM or accredited clinical scientists recruited and paid by the health authorities. Its purpose is to help provide term limited protected research time to enable them to build that aspect of their career.

The program is motivated by the acknowledgment that many individuals of great academic potential have been recruited in to clinical positions across BC. The program is designed for individuals who have demonstrated that they have potential as researchers, from any of the province’s health authority laboratories that support research.

Celebrating Our Newest Pediatric and Perinatal Pathology Graduate

The AFC Pediatric and Perinatal Pathology Program celebrated its newest graduating fellow, Dr. Marie-Christine Jean, with a dinner at Seasons in the Park on August 31.

Dr. Jean will join CHU Sainte-Justine in Montréal this fall as a staff pediatric and perinatal pathologist. Congratulations to Dr. Jean on this achievement and an exciting next chapter!

The photo includes Dr. Abdullah Almanea, Dr. Marie-Christine Jean, Dr. Jessica Saunders, Lisa Robichaud, Dr. Anna Lee, Dr. Jeff Terry and Teresa Sturby. Jon Bush also joined the group for the celebration.

Celebrating the Completion of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Fellowship

Celebrating the Completion of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Fellowship

Dr. Chris Lowe and Dr. Mike Payne celebrated the program’s latest graduate, Dr. Mohammed Alharbi, following the completion of his Antimicrobial Stewardship Fellowship.

Congratulations to Dr. Alharbi on this achievement. We wish him every success in his future endeavours!

The photo includes Dr. Mohammed Alharbi and Dr. Chris Lowe.

Sorensen Lab Study Identifies Potential Targets for Osteosarcoma Treatment

A new study from the Sorensen Lab at the BC Cancer Research Institute has been published in Cell Reports. The study was led by Dr. Brian Mooney, Research Associate in the Sorensen Lab, and brought together research teams from across North America.

The researchers analyzed 22 patient-derived models of osteosarcoma to identify proteins that could become new treatment targets. Two proteins, ROR2 and TMEM119, showed high expression in osteosarcoma samples but limited expression in the healthy tissues examined. Laboratory testing also showed promising results from targeting ROR2 with antibody-drug conjugates.

This is the first publication from the Defying Osteosarcoma TeamLab, funded by Break Through Cancer.

Read the study in Cell Reports

Career Opportunities

Laboratory Scientist/Genome Analyst – VGH Cytogenomics Laboratory

The Cytogenomics Laboratory at Vancouver General Hospital is recruiting a Laboratory Scientist/Genome Analyst. This full-time, one-year position begins October 1, 2026, and will provide coverage for a leave.

The position is suited to someone with a strong background in genetics and an interest in clinical cancer genomics. The work includes interpreting genetic alterations and evaluating emerging genomic technologies such as long-read sequencing, optical genome mapping and next-generation sequencing.

The opportunity was shared by Dr. Tara Spence, Director of the Cytogenomics Laboratory at VGH and Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC.

View the position and apply

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Neuroinflammation Research Laboratory

The Neuroinflammation Research Laboratory (Quandt Lab) at the UBC Centre for Brain Health is recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Fellow for Fall 2026. The successful candidate will help lead a CIHR-funded project examining how Nr1h3 (LXRα) mutations affect lipid metabolism, myelination and neuroinflammation in a preclinical model of progressive multiple sclerosis.

The position combines primary cell culture, advanced microscopy and murine disease models in a collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment.

Learn more and apply

Cybersecurity Awareness Month Treat Baskets

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! UBC units are invited to request a treat basket to help start conversations about cybersecurity and share helpful tips and resources with their teams.

Units interested in receiving a basket should complete the survey by Friday, September 4, 2026.

Request a Cybersecurity Awareness Month treat basket

Horizon Europe Health Matchmaking Event

Researchers and innovators seeking international partners for a Pillar 2 Horizon Europe proposal are invited to apply for the International Collaboration on Health and Disease Matchmaking Event.

The event will connect participants from Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland to develop partnerships for the 2027 Horizon Europe Cluster 1 Health calls.

Selected participants will receive access to the B2Match platform from September 21 to 25, 2026, where they can arrange meetings with potential collaborators. They may also present their project ideas during a virtual pitch session on September 22.

The event will be hosted in French, with English live captions available. Participants may present their pitches in either French or English.

Registration deadline: September 7, 2026. Please note that space is limited and selected participants will receive further information by September 16.

Learn more and register

Questions may be directed to the Canadian Horizon Europe Secretariat at horizoneurope@ised-isde.gc.ca. Participants can also use this time zone converter.

ATM Talk: Getting to Regulatory Approval

The UBC Academy of Translational Medicine invites researchers, trainees, clinicians and health innovation teams to its first ATM Talk of the academic year: Getting to Regulatory Approval: Strategies to Move Your Discovery Forward.

Date: Friday, September 25, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm
Location: Zoom

Regulatory affairs expert Karen Long will share practical insights from more than 30 years of experience preparing regulatory submissions in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Topics will include:

• How regulatory strategy supports the path to patient access
• What is involved in preparing regulatory submissions
• How regulatory requirements can shape research
• Key costs, timelines and program risks
• How to navigate uncertainty and incomplete information

No previous regulatory experience is required, and the session will include time for questions.

Register for the Zoom session

Coming Soon: 2026–27 CUES Fund Launches September 8, 2026

The Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund provides up to $25,000 for community-university partnerships that advance collaborative research, teaching and learning while creating meaningful benefits for communities across British Columbia.

The 2026–27 fund launches on September 8, 2026. An online information session will be held on Wednesday, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. Participants will learn about eligibility, the application process and how to prepare a strong application.

The deadline to submit a Notice of Intent is September 28, 2026.

Register for the CUES information session.

UBC CCEL Community Grants for Student Projects

UBC students can receive up to $10,000 to co-design and implement projects that address community needs.

Applications will be accepted from November 1, 2026, to January 31, 2027. Students can visit the CCEL website to explore the available funding streams, receive application support and learn how to apply.

Learn more about CCEL Community Grants.