Tell us about yourself and your work as the Faculty Co-lead for Research.
I am an adult endocrinologist at VGH, with a focus on adolescent patients transitioning from pediatric to adult care. My other area of subspecialty is post-solid organ transplant care and islet cell transplantation.
As the Resident Research Co-lead with PGME (along with Dr. Alice Mui), I collect, curate, and create resident research resources for our residents. We just launched a Research webpage that will host all of this content. We’ve also started a resident research education podcast, subscribe now!
What have you learned in this role that has surprised you most?
There are actually so many resident research resources out there, both those created by our UBC faculty, as well as Canada-wide. As I have searched for these materials, I have realized that there is no need to re-invent the wheel! One really important research resource is a book called The Research Guide by BJ Harvey, ES Lang, and JR Frank, published by the Royal College. Residents are so resilient and inspirational and many have already been involved in impressive research projects. Our hope is that many others can find the resources to get involved in research projects during residency.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received on the job?
I think it’s important to get out of your comfort zone and try something new, because you never know if it is something that you might like. If it does not work out, that’s ok, you can move on to another role. But if it is something that is life-giving, then that’s great!
What impact do you hope to have on residents?
I would love to see more residents involved and engaged in the research process. Even if they do not end up in an academic or research career, getting residents to understand and appreciate the value of research (whether big or small) is a primary goal. As a graduate of the UBC Clinician Investigator Program, I also hope that many others will be inspired to apply for CIP in the years to come.
