The UBC Division of Nephrology has a strong and internationally-recognized translational research program in both renal disease and transplantation. Members of the Division have successfully secured substantial funding and hold over $5 million in research support annually, including grants from Genome Canada, Networks of Centres of Excellence, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR), the Kidney Foundation of Canada, and other peer-review agencies, as well as unrestricted industry supported grants, and conventional industry supported trials.
The Division’s research program is working to: (a) optimize the ongoing academic activities of current members by fostering effective collaboration, (b) ensure effective mentoring for new recruits to maximize their opportunities for academic success and (c) provide formal graduate and post- graduate scientific training for residents and fellows in Medicine, Nephrology and other disciplines, and for students from the Experimental Medicine and Clinical Investigator programs.
Our research programs integrate members from the VGH and SPH / Providence Health sites as well as our associate sites around the province, to ensure full participation and collaboration. The Division’s clinical research activities also include collaborations with research staff at the BC Provincial Renal Agency, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Providence Health Care Research Institute, as well as research groups outside of BC, including the Alberta Kidney Disease Network, Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR), Canadian Transplant Clinical Trials Group, Australian Clinical Trials Group amongst others.
There are research infrastructure resources committed to divisional research endeavors supported by contributions from the BC Provincial Renal Agency and grants from the traditional sources (industry and peer review grants). Our Divisional research units are situated at both St. Paul’s Hospital and within the Diamond Center at VGH. Staff includes a Research Manager, a number of highly-qualified Research Coordinators, spanning diverse backgrounds, and including students. The methodology and statistical support team includes dedicated staff time from BCR, and the Division, including Research Scientists, under the leadership of Ms. Ogjnenka Djurdjev.
The Division has a strong commitment to clinical and therapeutic trials, with many continuing single and multi-centre Phase III – Phase IV studies. Further integration of the clinical research program will enable the introduction of advanced study methods and trial designs and will permit all members of the Division to become actively involved in the evaluation of new and innovative treatments.
The importance of integrating research pursuits between investigators at all sites within the province, to ensure maximum economies of scale in human and capital resources remains a key goal of the Division.
The Division will continue to take a major role in the teaching of Kidney Sciences and Care within the University, continue its leadership position in nephrology postgraduate education, and introduce innovative initiatives in the delivery of integrated regional care for patients with renal disease, in collaboration with the unique BC Renal structure and resources.
Further information and research articles which include UBC Division members can be found on Kidney Link, CanSolve CKD and BC Renal Research.