As the fall term begins, we’re excited to welcome more than 1,000 new health professional students across 16 programs and five sites—Vancouver, Kelowna, Prince George, Victoria, and Surrey. These students join a vibrant community of learners, educators, patients, and partners who are shaping the future of health care in British Columbia.

At UBC Health, our work is grounded in a commitment to ensuring every student has access to regionally relevant, culturally safe, patient-engaged, and interprofessional learning experiences. Together with UBC’s health programs, we are advancing provincial priorities in team-based care, preparing graduates to meaningfully contribute to collaborative models of care that improve access and quality of health services.

Looking ahead, we are building on the success of the UBC Health Integrated Curriculum and expanding team-based learning in practice settings, where students spend up to 40% of their training. Initiatives such as the Gateway Team-Based Teaching Clinic —opening in 2026 as part of the Gateway Centre for Innovation in Collaborative Health Education and Team-Based Care —will serve as a hub for testing and scaling innovative care and education models across BC.

The newly approved Gateway Centre, a first-of-its-kind provincial Category 1 Research Centre, will bring together students, educators, healthcare professionals, researchers, and patients to explore innovations in interprofessional learning, teamwork, and person-centred care. Already, researchers are looking to this space to tackle emerging priorities, from advancing team-based care to exploring how artificial intelligence can be integrated responsibly into healthcare.

Patient voices remain at the heart of everything we do. This fall, we are proud to host the Where’s the Patient’s Voice? conference, which will bring together international researchers, educators, and patients committed to centring lived experience in health education and research.

The start of a new academic year brings renewed energy and opportunities to work together toward better health outcomes. We look forward to welcoming Dr Sharmila Anandasabapathy as the new VP Health this November, and to further building collaborations with faculty, staff, students, and community members across campuses and sites throughout the province.

Explore our website to learn more about how we are supporting better health together.

Here’s to a promising year ahead!

Christie Newton, Associate Vice President, Health