Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose understands the importance of mentorship for students. When she was a graduate student at UBC, she gained valuable learning experiences from being mentored. Now as a faculty member for more than 14 years, she has been giving back to the academic community through mentorship. Her contributions to student learning earned her the 2020 John McNeill Excellence in Health Research Mentorship Award.

This prestigious award of $10,000 recognizes outstanding mentorship by a faculty member in a health discipline who exemplifies a deep commitment to fostering the professional and personal development of faculty colleagues, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows in the early stages of their academic careers. 

I consider working with Professor Liu-Ambrose to be my greatest academic opportunity. I could not have asked for a more positive and exemplary mentor.

Dr. Liu-Ambrose is Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Co-Director of the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, both in the Faculty of Medicine. She also holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in physical activity, mobility, and cognitive neuroscience. Her research in healthy aging has made significant contributions to improving the health of older adults by shaping practice and advancing knowledge in the areas of brain health and mobility in aging.

“Mentorship is meaningful and rewarding for the one who’s being mentored as well as the mentor because you’re developing a relationship where both of us are learning—together and from each other,” says Dr. Liu-Ambrose. “It’s important to mentor, especially in my clinical research role at the university, because it’s about training the next generation to conduct research that could potentially have a positive impact on the health of others.” 

Dr. Liu-Ambrose exemplifies the award criteria of modelling excellence in and fostering the development of academic and professional competencies, such as scholarship, professional conduct, integrity, respect, and collaboration as well as inspire and support colleagues and students to reach their full potential. She has mentored numerous undergraduates, research graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, clinicians in training, research associates, and faculty members from diverse health disciplines. Many have garnered funding and continued in their careers to become successful and recognized experts in health research and clinical communities at multiple levels. 

Observing them achieve their goals and be very satisfied is rewarding for me. I take a lot of joy in seeing their successes.

Dr. Ryan Falck trained under Dr. Liu-Ambrose for his PhD in Rehabilitative Sciences. 

“Professor Liu-Ambrose provided me with outstanding mentorship throughout my PhD training and fostered my development towards a career as an independent scientist,” says Dr. Falck, who is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Experimental Medicine. “Professor Liu-Ambrose works tirelessly to ensure students have unparalleled opportunity to conduct high quality research and acquire new valuable skillsets. Through her mentorship, I acquired expertise in a number of areas. I consider working with Professor Liu-Ambrose to be my greatest academic opportunity. I could not have asked for a more positive and exemplary mentor.”

Dr. Liu-Ambrose hopes students and colleagues are challenged and feel they have the necessary skills and support to tackle challenges. She encourages them to develop strategies that enable them to be resilient and stay focused on their goals.

“Observing them achieve their goals and be very satisfied is rewarding for me. I take a lot of joy in seeing their successes—whether it’s a code that finally runs after weeks of problem-solving or getting a paper accepted after a challenging revision—it all brings fulfillment and meaning in what I do every day,” says Dr. Liu-Ambrose.

The McNeill award was established in 2015 by two Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences alumni in recognition of their mentor, Dean Emeritus John McNeill. For over four decades, Dr. McNeill’s leadership helped distinguish the faculty as one of Canada’s best graduate programs and research environments. The award is one of several offered annually by UBC Health to recognize individuals and teams who embody excellence in interprofessional collaboration, health education, and research and have made significant contributions to the advancement of health education and practice.
 

Posted March 11, 2021