Tim Fung, Graduate Student Representative
The Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics is a unique department as it is both academic and clinical and is comprised of three intertwined disciplines: anesthesiology, pharmacology, and therapeutics. The department was formed by merging anesthesiology with pharmacology and therapeutics in 2005 and is committed to an excellence in research and bringing knowledge from the bench-top to the clinic by fostering a cooperative environment between researchers and clinicians. The department is composed of clinical faculty, pharmacology faculty, anesthesiology residents, and pharmacology graduate students who are spread across the province of British Columbia.
Offering both Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees, our graduate students are researching in laboratories across the UBC Point Grey campus and the city of Vancouver. With a focus on improving the pharmacotherapies for treatment of diseases, our graduate students are engaged in a variety of research areas including neural, cardiovascular, respiratory, antimicrobial, and clinical pharmacology in addition to drug development.
Selected Recent Publications
Golbidi S, Badran M, Ayas N, Laher I. Cardiovascular consequences of sleep apnea. Lung. 2012;190:113-132.
Leung C, Yu C, Lin MI, Tognon C, Bernatchez P. Evidence of myoferlin in human and murine carcinoma tumors: role in membrane repair, cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. American Journal of Pathology 2013 May; 182(5): 1900-1909
Sellers SL, Iwasaki A, Payne GW, Nitric oxide and TNFα are critical regulators of reversible lymph node vascular remodeling and adaptive immune response, PLoS One. 2013;8(4):e60741. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060741. Epub 2013 Apr 3.
Thompson JL & Borgland SL (2013). Presynaptic leptin action suppresses excitatory synaptic transmission in the ventral tegmental area. Biol Psychiatry In Press.
Student Profiles
Greg Carney
Greg Carney holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Victoria in applied economics. He has a unique skill set which combines business analysis, statistical programming, and epidemiology. His health research focuses on post market pharmaceutical surveillance and pharmaceutical outcomes using large health care utilization databases. Greg currently works as the Research Project Manager for the PharmacoEpidemiology Group (PEG) at UBC. Greg is also a founding partner of Wildlife Intel Corp, working with the State University of New York to design, develop, and deploy patented anti-poacher technology to protect endangered species. Greg has travelled to South Central Siberia in Russia and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador to deploy this technology.
Zachary Whitney
Zachary Whitney is currently finishing his M.Sc. degree in Pharmacology and Therapeutics with Dr. Alasdair Barr. Zach works alongside Dr. Barr’s team of researchers on a number of clinical projects that focus on antipsychotic medications, their side effects, and their use in pediatric populations. Zach’s thesis project looks at comparing both high and low metabolic-risk medications. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the team evaluates changes in weight gain and changes in metabolic markers associated with antipsychotic medications. Zach’s keen interest in clinical pharmacology began in his undergraduate program. Zach completed a B.Sc. in nursing from Dalhousie and is currently a practicing RN at BC Children’s Hospital in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Outside of research, Zach spends his free time sailing and windsurfing and is an active member of UBC sailing club.
Corey Baimel
Corey Baimel is a doctoral candidate in his 4th year of study with Dr. Stephanie Borgland. His primary research interests are focused on the effects of addictive drugs on reward related brain areas. His most recent project examines the role of the neuropeptide orexin in morphine-induced synaptic plasticity of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area. To complete his thesis, he will use optogenetic techniques to look at the effects of endogenous orexin release in the ventral tegmental area. Corey graduated with a B.Sc. with great distinction in Physiology from McGill University. He has received a number of research awards including a Frederick Banting and Charles Best CIHR Master’s Award and a Brain Canada Mental Health Research Training Award. Outside of the laboratory, Corey enjoys travelling and is an avid skier, hockey player and cyclist.
Stephanie Sellers
Stephanie Sellers is a 2nd year PhD student working with Dr. Pascal Bernatchez at the James Hogg Research Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital. Stephanie’s research project centers on Marfan syndrome, a cardiovascular disease with pulmonary complications resulting from a mutation in the Fibrillin-1 gene. She aims to confirm the mechanism of action of Losartan, a selective blocker of angiotensin receptor type 1, and the current drug of choice for the treatment of Marfan syndrome. This work will allow for a greater understanding of Marfan syndrome and will reveal the full therapeutic potential of complete angiotensin receptor type 1 blockade in Marfan syndrome. Stephanie completed her B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and her M.Sc. in Vascular Biology and Immunology from the University of Northern BC. She has received numerous awards and scholarships including a CIHR Doctoral Fellowship and a Jean Francois Bowden Cardiovascular Research Award. Aside from the laboratory, Stephanie volunteers with a number of organizations and is a co-organizer for the 2013 Hoedown for Hearts, an annual fundraiser hosted by the James Hogg Research Center to raise funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.