Updates, news and stories

An unexpected path sparks UBC’s online learning era

Empowering youth in Kenya and at home

It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students—and a yearly experience for Colleen Poeta. As program coordinator of the Sauder Social Entrepreneurship-Kenya (SSE-K) Program, Colleen spends four weeks of her summers in Nairobi, where she supports a team of UBC students as they deliver a series of workshops in the large urban slums of Kibera and Mathare.

Bringing emergency preparedness to life at UBC

Gordon Binsted

A UBC Vancouver alum, Dr. Gordon Binsted is in the field of human kinetics. After holding positions at the University of Illinois, the Beckman Institute, and the University of Saskatchewan, he returned to UBC in 2007 — this time to the Okanagan campus — as professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences. He was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Development in 2011, and most recently took on an additional role as Associate Provost, Academic Health Initiatives.

Pamela Ratner

Dr. Pamela Ratner is Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Enrolment and Academic Facilities. She provides leadership for UBC’s enrolment management, academic space and facilities planning, and the capital projects prioritization and budgeting processes. Recently, she was also appointed on a pro tem basis as Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, International — a new role focused on strengthening UBC’s international activities. In 1995, Dr. Ratner joined UBC as a postdoctoral fellow before being appointed to the professorial stream in the School of Nursing. She has since held a number of leadership roles at the university, including those in the School of Nursing and Faculty of Education. Her academic contributions have been recognized with several awards, including the prestigious Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Dr. Ratner holds a deep commitment to excellence in research, teaching and learning. She is also a strong advocate for equity and inclusion.

Alex Bigazzi’s “Silver Bullet”

Michael White

Michael White joined UBC in 2014 as Associate Vice-President of Campus and Community Planning, and leads a team dedicated to creating a vibrant, live-work-learn community at the university’s campuses in Vancouver and the Okanagan. A UBC alumnus, Michael is passionate about the intersection of community engagement and urban planning. He spent 10 years as a municipal planner for the City of Vancouver and later worked as manager of planning in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He returned to Canada in 2011 as a consultant, before joining UBC in 2014 to begin his current role.

Skeleton staff: curating the big blue whale

Chris’s passion for nature was what first sparked his involvement with the Beaty Museum. While an undergraduate in animal biology at UBC, he began volunteering with the Cowan Tetrapod Collection in 2006 helping to move it into the newly constructed Beaty Museum in 2007. A part-time position followed, during which he completed a certificate in Museum Studies from UVic’s Cultural Resource Management program.

Philip Barker

Raised in the Okanagan, Dr. Philip Barker joined UBC in 2015 to serve a dual role focused on research and innovation. As Associate Vice-President Research, Dr. Barker has responsibility for innovation across the UBC system, while as Vice-Principal Research, he is responsible for providing leadership and direction on all research matters on the Okanagan campus. Dr. Barker is a molecular biologist and biochemist by trade, and his research lab has published more than 100 scientific papers on signals that regulate life and death decisions in neurons and cancer cells. He co-founded a biotechnology company, holds several patents, and has developed and licensed a number of technologies.

Emma Cunliffe

From Australia originally, Dr. Emma Cunliffe came to UBC in 2002 to do a Master’s in Law. She only intended to stay for a year, but her master’s turned into a PhD and eventually a faculty position at the Peter A. Allard School of Law. In January 2017, she started a two-year term in a completely new capacity — that of senior advisor to President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Santa Ono.

A new take on the classroom builds space for better learning

Hubert Lai

Hubert Lai, Q.C. was appointed as UBC’s University Counsel in 2001. At the time, he was the youngest person to have ever served in such a capacity at a major Canadian university. As well, from 2006 to 2007, he simultaneously served as the university’s Associate Vice-President, Government Relations. Since 2007, Hubert has served as a member of the University Executive. In 2012, he was appointed as Queen’s Counsel by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.