On December 10, 2020, UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Santa J. Ono announced that Dr. Dermot Kelleher has been re-appointed for a second term to the role of Vice-President, Health. 


I am pleased to announce that Dr. Dermot Kelleher has been re-appointed for a second term to the role of Vice-President, Health.

The Vice-President, Health role is focused on the synergistic engagement of health disciplines at UBC in the development of collaborative education, research and approaches to health systems for health benefit in BC. The Vice-President, Health leads UBC Health and works to enhance our collaborative links with the provincial government, BC health authorities and province-wide frameworks such as the Academic Health Sciences Network. The role also helps to facilitate greater collaboration and integration in research and learning within and across UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, and across our distributed sites and partnerships to inform health system innovation.

During his first term, Dr. Kelleher has accomplished everything I envisioned when I reviewed the UBC Health portfolio in 2018 and created this position. He has built a strong foundation to support institutional excellence. He has also advanced a number of priorities to support UBC’s health education programs and research activities, and the development of a sustainable health system. His achievements include:

  • Developing a collaborative five-year strategic plan for UBC Health.
  • Solidifying systematic collaboration and innovation in health research and education across UBC.
  • Developing a strategic approach to research with a particular focus on health data.

Thank you to all those who took part in the review which led to Dr. Kelleher’s re-appointment. This includes those who sat on the review committee from the Board of Governors, faculty, staff and student communities, as well as all those who submitted feedback.

I look forward to working with Dr. Kelleher as he builds on the success of his first term.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Kelleher on his re-appointment.

Santa J. Ono
President and Vice-Chancellor


“I am delighted to be re-appointed as Vice-President, Health to help strengthen the university’s capacity for excellence in health education and research and creating opportunities for improved health and system outcomes. I look forward to building on UBC Health’s accomplishments and connecting people, ideas, and actions to advance our strategic priorities.”

– Dr. Dermot Kelleher, Vice-President, Health

Posted December 10, 2020