Each year, UBC Pharm Sci recognizes one of its remarkable alumni for creating a local, national or global impact in a community, research, hospital or clinical field. Today, we are pleased to announce that the 2017 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Alumni Agent of Change is Gary D. Lopaschuk, BSc(Pharm)’78, MSc(Pharm)’80, PhD(Pharm)’83.
A triple alumnus of the Faculty, Dr. Lopaschuk is a distinguished university professor of pediatrics at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. He is a cardiovascular researcher who focuses on the regulation of fatty acid oxidation in the heart and the mechanism by which high rates of fatty acid oxidation contribute to heart disease and heart failure. He is also examining how alterations in fatty acid metabolism contribute to cardiovascular disease in the diabetic. At a molecular level, he has characterized a number of key enzymes important in the regulation of cardiac fatty acid oxidation and is also developing a number of therapeutic strategies that involve optimizing energy metabolism in the heart that can be used to prevent the development of heart disease and treat heart failure. His research has resulted in the publication of over 400 original research articles, and he has been recognized by awards such as the Canadian Cardiovascular Research Achievement Award and the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences Research Achievement Award.
Dr. Lopaschuk is an Alberta Innovates Health Solution Scientist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has served as scientific director of the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute and has previously served in a number of capacities with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, including as chair of the Scientific Review Committee and the vice-chair of the Research Planning and Priorities Committee. He serves on a number of journal editorial boards, including: Circulation Research, Journal of Clinical Investigation, American Journal of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research, Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, Heart and Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy. He is also the president and CEO of Metabolic Modulators Research Ltd, a biotechnology company that is developing novel drugs to treat heart disease by optimizing energy metabolism in the heart.
As part of the event, Dr. Lopaschuk will present a keynote focusing on his career journey, motivations and inspirations to pursue the groundbreaking research that he and his lab are undertaking and how his research has translated into the business world.
Save the Date: March 1, 2017
UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Alumni Agent of Change 2017 will be held on March 1, 2017 at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre on UBC's Point Grey Campus. The event invitation will be sent soon.
The Faculty thanks the members of the selection committee for their time and careful deliberations of the nominated candidates:
- Thomas Chang, BSc'81, BSc(Pharm)'86,PhD(Pharm)'91, associate dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
- Bob Rai, BSc'91, BSc(Pharm)'95, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences representative on the alumni UBC Advisory Council
- Wayne Riggs, BSc(Pharm)'71, MSc(Pharm)'83, PhD(Pharm)'89, professor and associate dean emeritus
- Tony Seet, BSc'91, BSc(Pharm)'99, instructor and member of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Alumni Advisory Committee
- Nicole Tsao, BSc'08, BSc(Pharm)'14, 2016 Upcoming Alumni Agent of Change