It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Stephen Chia has been appointed Head of the UBC Division of Medical Oncology effective September 1, 2020.
Dr. Chia is a Full Professor in the Division of Medical Oncology and a staff medical oncologist with the BC Cancer, Vancouver Cancer Centre. He has a full-time clinical practice focusing on breast cancer and in new drug development. He has held many leadership roles at BC Cancer, Vancouver Cancer Centre including Chair of the BC Cancer Breast Tumour Group, Chair of the BC Cancer Tumour Group Council, Associate Director of Provincial Clinical Research, and Head of Clinical Unit 1. He has been the Co-Chair of the Breast Disease Site for Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG).
Dr. Chia is recognized both nationally and internationally for his research work on breast cancer. He has published 157 peer-reviewed papers. His publications appear in international peer-reviewed journals including high-impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Lancet, Cell, JAMA Oncology, and Nature. He has held peer-reviewed grants as principal investigator from the National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance, and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Dr. Chia has been a Subject Editor for British Journal of Cancer and The Oncologist as well as the section author for UpToDate™ in the Prognostic/ Predictive Markers Section. He has served on grant review panels for NCIC and CCSRI.
Dr. Chia is a sought-after mentor and an excellent teacher. He has been actively engaged in teaching and has supervised many medical students and trainees throughout his career. He is a member of the BC Cancer Medical Oncology Residency Training Committee. He has received the BC Cancer Medical Oncology Resident Mentorship Award three times in 2012, 2015 and 2018. He was honored with the Joseph Connors Teaching Award by the BC Cancer Medical Oncology Resident Program in 2019.
Dr. Chia is a successful researcher, excellent teacher and experienced administrator. He is a member on many University, health authority and scholarly committees. He is a highly valued member of the Division and the Department. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Chia on his appointment and wishing him all the best in his new role.
At this time, we would also like to express our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Caroline Lohrisch, who is stepping down as Head, UBC Division of Medical Oncology for her dedication and service to the Division and Department in that role.
Anita Palepu, MD, MPH, FRCPC, MACP
Professor and Eric W. Hamber Chair
Head, Department of Medicine
University of British Columbia