Transforming Health Insights

Transforming Health Insights

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Transforming Health Insights episodes

  • Improving Care and Medical Education in the Age of AI

    In this episode of Transforming Health Insights, we will learn from Dr. Raymond Ng and Dr. Anita Palepu about AI-driven decision support that is working on streamlining triaging for breast cancer patients in BC, with the goal of identifying high-risk patients earlier so they can access care. AI is advancing rapidly in healthcare, raising important questions about ethics and responsible use. We will explore how AI can be used to address complex health system challenges when deployed responsibly, while keeping humans at the center of decision making. UBC researchers are working to harness the power of AI in health care while building safeguards around privacy and ensuring that humans, not AI, make crucial health decisions and use AI for good. AI has the potential to reimagine health care if used responsibly and thoughtfully.   
    HOST: Chantal Moore, Scientific Communications and Engagement Strategist, UBC Office of Research

    GUESTS: Dr. Anna Blakney, Assistant Professor, Michael Smith Laboratories and School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC and Dr. Pieter Cullis, Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Produced by
    EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education and Office of Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Story Editors and Associate Producers
    Neha Manjari Akella, Research Network Manager, MS Research Network, UBC Faculty of Medicine
    Chantal Moore, Scientific Communications and Engagement Strategist, Office of Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Technical Production by
    EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Sound Recordist
    Sam McGuinness, EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Sound Editors
    Sam McGuinness and Vanessa Reuter, EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Associate Director, Research Programs & Administration
    Shelly Au, Office of Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Executive Director
    Dr. Michelle Wong, Canada’s Immuno-engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub and Office of Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Senior Producer, Creative and Distribution
    Stephen Gillis, EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Executive Producer
    Zachary Rothman, EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Subscribe to the show and other UBC Medicine Learning Network podcasts on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite podcast platform.
     

    Episode Chapters

    ·      [00:00] – Introduction and episode overview

    ·      [01:36] – Personal pathways into AI and Health

    ·      [03:57] – Expediting breast cancer triaging

    ·      [08:02] – Scaling AI models across health settings

    ·      [09:28] – AI’s role in clinical care

    ·      [11:06] – Equity, access and marginalized populations

    ·      [12:38] – Education and training around AI best practices

    ·      [15:44] – Responsible use and UBC AI and Health Network

    ·      [22:29] – Sustainability and environmental responsibility

    ·      [25:50] – Improve patient experience and healthcare impact

    ·      [28:16] – Future vision

    ·      [31:03] – Closing remarks

    ·      [31:31] – Knowledge nugget

    Resources & References

    ·      Learn more about

    o   AI and Health Network: https://aihealth.med.ubc.ca/

    o   Dr. Raymond Ng: https://www.cs.ubc.ca/~rng/

    o   Dr. Anita Palepu: https://datascienceandhealth.ubc.ca/people/anita-palepu

    ·      Ng, Raymond. New data centres need to be built for the right reasons (September 21, 2026).https://www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/6f8ae90c134057a9373d4be8ee82374724bed37d8e992ba94cb5f4fc67883df2/XGRAG74R35CNFK7CW7TDCZQ7RI/.

    ·      Gondara, Lovedeep, et al. "Small or large? zero-shot or finetuned? guiding language model choice for specialized applications in healthcare." Machine Learning and Knowledge Extraction 7.4 (2025): 121.

    ·      Al-Najafi, Dheyaa, et al. "Psychometric performance and student perceptions of AI-versus student-generated multiple-choice questions: a single-center randomized controlled trial." BMC Medical Education 26.1 (2026): 1376.

     

    The Vancouver Fraser Medical Program and the Vancouver Academic Campus of the University of British Columbia are situated on the traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.

    The Southern Medical Program and the Okanagan Academic Campus of the University of British Columbia are situated on the territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation.

    The Northern Medical Program and the University of Northern BC are situated on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, part of the Dakelh (Carrier) First Nations.

    With respect to the Lekwungen peoples on whose traditional territory the Island Medical Program and the University of Victoria stand, and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.

    We acknowledge our traditional hosts and honour their welcome and graciousness to the students who seek knowledge here.

    All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution of this presentation without written permission from UBC Faculty of Medicine is strictly prohibited.


    © UBC Medicine Learning Network 2026


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    34 min
  • The Race to Reinvent Medicine, and Why Canada is Winning

    In this episode, Dr. Pieter Cullis and Dr. Anna Blakney explore the rapidly advancing field of RNA-lipid nanoparticle (LNP) therapeutics and how this technology is enabling next-generation drug discovery platform with applications to precision or personalized medicines.

    This technology, best known for its role in COVID-19 vaccines, is now being applied to personalized cancer vaccines, rare genetic diseases, gene editing and even anti-aging research. The conversation covers how these therapies are designed and delivered, including how patient-specific treatments can be developed and adapted on accelerated timelines, and the exciting potential for a new generation of safer, more-targeted cancer therapies.

    They also examine the infrastructure required to move these innovations from lab to clinic, including biomanufacturing, regulatory pathways and the role of Canada’s research ecosystem. Their take-home message: RNA-LNP-based medicine represents a fundamental shift in how we treat diseases, and the shift is already underway with B.C. and Canada well positioned to help lead what comes next.

    HOST: Chantal Moore, Scientific Communications and Engagement Strategist, UBC Office of Research

    GUESTS: Dr. Anna Blakney, Assistant Professor, Michael Smith Laboratories and School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC and Dr. Pieter Cullis, Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Produced by
    EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education and Office of Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Story Editors and Associate Producers
    Neha Manjari Akella, Research Network Manager, MS Research Network, UBC Faculty of Medicine
    Chantal Moore, Scientific Communications and Engagement Strategist, Office of Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Technical Production by
    EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Sound Recordist
    Sam McGuinness, EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Sound Editors
    Sam McGuinness and Vanessa Reuter, EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Associate Director, Research Programs & Administration
    Shelly Au, Office of Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Executive Director
    Dr. Michelle Wong, Canada’s Immuno-engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub and Office of Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Senior Producer, Creative and Distribution
    Stephen Gillis, EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Executive Producer
    Zachary Rothman, EdTech: Digital Solutions for Education, UBC Faculty of Medicine

    Subscribe to the show and other UBC Medicine Learning Network podcasts on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite podcast platform.

    Episode Timestamps

    ·      [00:00] – Introduction and episode overview

    ·      [01:49] – The promise of RNA therapeutics

    ·      [02:18] – Applications in rare diseases

    ·      [06:14] – Personalized cancer vaccines

    ·      [07:33] – Advancing novel therapies

    ·      [11:29] – The AVENGER program

    ·      [14:38] – Building the foundation

    ·      [19:58] – Patient access and equity
    ·      [22:18] – Looking ahead

    ·      [25:55] – Canada’s strategic position and sovereignty

    ·      [27:13] – Drs. Cullis and Blakney’s personal pathways

           [31:28] – Knowledge nugget
     

    Learn more about:

    AVENGER: https://immunoengineeringhub.ca/programs/avenger/

    Dr. Anna Blakney: https://bme.ubc.ca/?directory=anna-blakney

    Dr. Pieter Cullis: https://lsi.ubc.ca/people/pieter-cullis/

    Cullis, P., & Blakney, A. From COVID to cancer: Why Canada’s RNA vaccine leadership matters more than ever. The Conversation (April 30, 2025). https://theconversation.com/from-covid-to-cancer-why-canadas-rna-vaccine-leadership-matters-more-than-ever-254692.

    Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub (CIEBH), a new UBC-led national research hub aimed at strengthening Canada’s pandemic preparedness and developing lifesaving new medicines that will transform the health of Canadians. https://immunoengineeringhub.ca/

    Conflict of Interest Disclosure:

    Dr. Pieter Cullis is a scientific entrepreneur, having co-founded over 10 biotechnology companies. He has financial holdings in Acuitas Therapeutics, NanoVation Therapeutics, Polymorphic BioSciences, Integrated NanoTherapeutics and SeraGene Therapeutics. He is Chair of NanoVation and CEO of Polymorphic and a member of the Board of Seragene.

    Dr. Anna Blakney: Co-Founder: Syrina Therapeutics; Scientific Advisory Board: Genvax Technologies, Replicate Biosciences, Pasture Biosciences, TR1X Bio; Consultant: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Epitopea 

    The Vancouver Fraser Medical Program and the Vancouver Academic Campus of the University of British Columbia are situated on the traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.

    The Southern Medical Program and the Okanagan Academic Campus of the University of British Columbia are situated on the territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation.

    The Northern Medical Program and the University of Northern BC are situated on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, part of the Dakelh (Carrier) First Nations.

    With respect to the Lekwungen peoples on whose traditional territory the Island Medical Program and the University of Victoria stand, and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.

    We acknowledge our traditional hosts and honour their welcome and graciousness to the students who seek knowledge here.

    All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution of this presentation without written permission from UBC Faculty of Medicine is strictly prohibited.


    © UBC Medicine Learning Network 2026


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    34 min
  • Transforming Health Insights Podcast - Season 1 Teaser
    Turning biomedical discoveries into real-world care one story at a time. From UBC Faculty of Medicine, Office of Research, this is the Transforming Health Insights podcast, bringing you the stories behind the science. We’re sharing the people and ideas transforming health in B.C., making complex science accessible for everyone. From life-saving RNA breakthroughs, to AI helping to identify high-risk cancer patients earlier, to the next generation of cell therapies—hear it straight from the incredibly dedicated people making it happen. Featuring researchers, clinicians, patients and partners.
    Subscribe today and don't miss the upcoming podcast launch on all your favourite podcast platforms. The Vancouver Fraser Medical Program and the Vancouver Academic Campus
    of the University of British Columbia are situated on the traditional
    territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.
    The Southern Medical Program and the Okanagan Academic Campus of the
    University of British Columbia are situated on the territory of the
    Syilx Okanagan Nation.
    The Northern Medical Program and the University of Northern BC are
    situated on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, part of
    the Dakelh (Carrier) First Nations.
    With respect to the Lekwungen peoples on whose traditional territory the
    Island Medical Program and the University of Victoria stand, and the
    Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships
    with the land continue to this day.
    We acknowledge our traditional hosts and honour their welcome and
    graciousness to the students who seek knowledge here.
    All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution of this presentation
    without written permission from UBC Faculty of Medicine is strictly
    prohibited.
    © UBC Medicine Learning Network 2026
    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
    for information about our collection and use of personal data for
    advertising.
    1 min

About Transforming Health Insights

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Transforming Health Insights envisions a world where health innovation is accessible, understandable, and actionable for everyone.