2023 President’s Awards for Staff Recipients

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the President’s Service Awards for Excellence and the President’s Staff awards, presented by the university annually to recognize staff members who demonstrate outstanding achievement and excellence within the UBC community.

View photos from the 2023 President’s awards for staff reception.

President’s Service Awards for Excellence

The President’s Service Awards for Excellence are presented each year to up to five outstanding staff members. The PSAE acknowledges staff who have made outstanding contributions to UBC, and who excel in their personal achievements. 

The 2023 President’s Service Awards for Excellence recipients are: 

President’s Staff Awards 

The President’s Staff Awards at the Vancouver campus recognize the personal achievements and contributions that our staff make to UBC, and to the vision and goals of the university. 

The 2023 President’s Staff Awards recipients are: 

President’s Staff Award for Leadership 

President’s Staff Award for Enhancing UBC Experience  

President’s Staff Award for Creativity and Innovation 

President’s Staff Award for Advancing Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence  

President’s Staff Award for Wellbeing 

President’s Staff Award for Collaborative Excellence

 

President’s Service Awards for Excellence 

The President’s Service Awards for Excellence (PSAE) are presented each year to up to five outstanding staff members from across the university. This is the top award presented to UBC staff.

The PSAE recognizes staff who make outstanding contributions to the university. This award honours those who excel in their area of work and in personal achievements, who exemplify positive contributions to UBC and our communities through personal volunteerism, and position UBC as an engaged local and global partner. These individuals improve the value, efficiency, inclusivity and equity, and sustainability of the services they provide by building respectful environments. They maintain a high quality of service to their clients and embrace UBC’s values of excellence, integrity, respect, academic freedom, and accountability. They create an inclusive, vibrant and welcoming community at UBC.

Mandana Amiri

Experimental Cosmology Project Manager / System Engineer

Physics and Astronomy

Mandana Amiri (she/her) is a highly skilled project manager, a mentor, and an accomplished engineer who is globally recognized for her cosmology research. She is the Project Manager for the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), a revolutionary new radio telescope designed to answer major questions in astrophysics and cosmology.  

Making UBC a better place

Her excellence in engineering, clear and open communication, and efforts to create an inclusive and supportive research environment have attracted a wide-ranging group of talented researchers to UBC while also strengthening the university as a sought-after research partner.  

With Mandana’s leadership, the CHIME team has grown to a global community of over 150 researchers and scientists, and in 2020 the team was honoured with the Governor General’s Innovation Award. 

Impact on community

Through direct support, advocacy, and leading by example, Mandana has built a diverse community where people are able to thrive. She facilitates collaboration among graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff and creates space for all perspectives and voices to be heard.  

“Her mentorship and proactive outreach to engage new and junior members has created an atmosphere for people to flourish, grow in their career, and realize their potential.”
— Mark Halpern, Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Going above and beyond

Mandana sees what needs doing and does it; in addition to her role as project manager, she has taken on duties above and beyond such as proposal writing and teaching and mentoring trainees across various institutions. At UBC’s experimental cosmology lab, Mandana also mentors students with patience, respect, and flexibility to meet the needs of each individual.  

Learn more:

Gillian Harris

Director, Administration and Operations

Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability

Gillian Harris (she/her) is an administrator who identifies and adapts to people’s needs, empowers people’s strengths, and fosters a thriving community committed to supporting the growth of its students, staff and faculty.

Making UBC a better place

During Gillian’s tenure at the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability (IRES), she has fundamentally transformed the administrative culture. She empowers others to take pride and ownership in their work and creates an environment of openness that enhances interactions among students, staff, and faculty.

“Gillian’s community focus has cultivated cohesive relationships between all faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral fellows at IRES, creating an inclusive environment for everyone.”
— Kelsey Robertson, RES Graduate Manager, IRES

Impact on community

Gillian is central to making IRES a welcoming place for all. Her community spirit shines through her tireless work to engage people and build community through healthy workplace initiatives, wellness programs, and most notably, her pilot venture within the Faculty of Science to launch BuddyBoost: a workplace wellbeing app to encourage building healthy habits.  

Going above and beyond

Gillian goes out of her way to make positive contributions to people’s lives at UBC, whether it’s organizing celebrations, hosting international students, or supporting individuals facing challenging life changes. When a colleague received a serious medical diagnosis and took a leave of absence, Gillian galvanized the IRES community into action to support the staff member and their family. She volunteered her personal time, raised funds, and organized a rotation of volunteers to help with transportation to and from medical appointments over many months.  

Gillian’s spirit of building community and helping out those in need embodies the trust and respect that unites people together. IRES has experienced enormous transformation and growth; the quality and character of this transformation are in no small measure due to Gillian’s leadership, management, and commitment to a collaborative environment.   

Learn more:

Kshamta Bhupendra Hunter

Manager, Transformative Learning and Student Engagement

Sustainability Hub

Kshamta Hunter (she/her) is nurturing the next generation of leaders in sustainability and climate impact. In her role at UBC, she develops and implements transformative, sustainability-focused learning and leadership opportunities for students, while taking creative and innovative approaches to new programming and curriculum.  

Making UBC a better place

Kshamta centres her work around student learning and engagement while addressing globally important issues. With students at the forefront, Kshamta launched the Sustainability Ambassadors Program–an opportunity for students to be positioned as agents for change for sustainability issues. Through mentorship and a keen interest in listening to students’ feedback, Kshamta has shaped the program into a highly sought-after student experience.   

“The Ambassadors program has blessed me with the privilege of watching and learning from your resilience and dedication to purpose. Thank you for being intentional about nurturing the next generation of leaders through this program.”
— Feedback from Sustainability Ambassadors Program participant 

Impact on community

Kshamta strives to integrate inclusivity and justice into her work and teaching initiatives. She is one of the founding members of The Kindness Project, an initiative for faculty, staff, and students that aims to create a kinder world with respect to conflict resolution, environmental sustainability, mental health, and equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Furthermore, as climate policy and decisions in Canada largely exclude Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC) and underrepresented communities, Kshamta is collaborating with colleagues across the university to create inclusive and safe spaces for IBPOC students to connect and discuss the climate crisis and wellbeing.  

Going above and beyond

Kshamta empowers educators to incorporate climate change education into their programs. She is co-developing a new pedagogical framework on climate change education through the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, and developing a climate pedagogy to help address the call from teachers across BC to offer more courses on sustainability, climate, and science education. 

Learn more:

Shirley Nakata

Ombudsperson for Students

Ombuds Office

Shirley Nakata (she/her) is a compassionate leader; a tireless advocate for students; and a thoughtful change-maker, making intentional and proactive changes in systems and processes to create a more inclusive and fair campus for students, faculty, and staff.  

Making UBC a better place

Shirley is UBC’s first and current Ombudsperson, having established the Ombuds office at the Vancouver campus in 2009 and at the Okanagan in 2013. Shirley launched the Ombuds office with the goal of ensuring students are treated fairly and can learn, work and live in an equitable and respectful environment. Under her leadership, the office processes over 500 student cases a year and is now a central part of UBC’s ecosystem of respectful and inclusive student engagement.

“Shirley exemplifies the values and goals of a more inclusive and fair UBC… She is the glue that holds so many campus collaborations together, serving as an example of the right way to do things: Shirley is a role model.”
— Mary Lynn Young, Professor, Journalism Writing & Media and
Minelle Mahtani, Associate Professor, Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice.

Impact on community

Shirley is a leader and mentor to students and staff across UBC, particularly to underrepresented and marginalized groups on campus. As a senior leader who identifies as a woman and visible minority, Shirley ‘leads from below’—she is a bullhorn when speaking for those not in a position to speak out for themselves, and a voice for others to be seen and recognized. 

Going above and beyond

Shirley co-authored the “Nakata and Iyer Report,” proposing best practices for creating and implementing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy, such as creating an associate vice president role for EDI with a reporting structure involving multiple vice-presidential portfolios. This report not only created a successful blueprint for change at UBC, but also serves as a model for other universities.  

Learn more:

PJ Rayner

Curriculum Consultant for CTLT and Educational Strategist for Faculty of Arts

Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology

PJ Rayner (they/them) has transformed the learning experience of thousands of students and enhanced the teaching experience of faculty. A trusted resource, and a committed advocate for equity-denied communities, PJ brings a collaborative and inclusive approach to educational programming change at UBC.

Making UBC a better place

PJ partners with faculties and departments on several curriculum development and program renewal projects across UBC. PJ uses in-depth investigation and analytics to enable faculties and programs to navigate substantial change and reform while also responding to evolving needs and present priorities.

“Part of what makes PJ so valuable to academics is that they bring methodological rigor to the curriculum support they provide on campus—a rigor that mirrors the commitment to excellence in research and knowledge translation that UBC demands of its faculty.”
— Dr. Paul Kershaw, Associate Professor & Director, Masters of Public Health Program

Impact on community

PJ brings a depth of experience and commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) values to their community. Whether it’s ensuring that job descriptions include both Indigenous and JEDI competencies, or consulting on how to reduce the risk of excluding Queer and BIPOC students in small group settings in the classroom, PJ strives to help create more inclusive spaces at UBC.

Going above and beyond

PJ aligns their exceptional level of service with their sincere commitment to understanding varied perspectives.

For example, when working with the Faculty of Arts on the renewal of the Bachelor of Arts language requirement, PJ enrolled in and completed a first-year language course on their own time to increase their own understanding of this unique learning context. PJ’s commitment to building a deep understanding of diverse learning environments enables them to approach their work with greater knowledge and empathy, ultimately resulting in learning spaces that better reflect student needs.

Learn more:

President’s Staff Awards

The President’s Staff Awards recognize the personal and professional achievements and contributions that UBC Vancouver staff make to the vision and goals of the university.

President’s Staff Award for Leadership 

The President’s Staff Award for Leadership is presented to staff who demonstrate a high level of problem solving, creativity or innovation. They communicate a compelling vision for their colleagues, influencing others to build consensus among individual and organizational objectives. They lead by example and display a commitment to the people at the university beyond the requirements of their job. They make UBC a better workplace and contribute to developing the leadership capacity and strengths of those around them.

Sara Buse

Director, Experiential Learning and Academic Services

Dean’s Office, Faculty of Applied Science

Sara Buse (she/her) empowers her teams to deliver the highest quality student services, transforming the student experience for undergraduate engineering students across both campuses. As a leader and director, she is involved closely in the work to better understand how she can support her team.

Managing three separate work units, Sara effortlessly pivots among the different projects and challenges while continually striving for improvement and success, and also empowering her teams to do the same.

Inclusive leadership

Sara advocates for the needs of historically excluded or underrepresented students, identifying and reducing barriers for student groups in accessing resources. She also works with the Engineering Undergraduate Society and student leaders across the faculty to help create an inclusive environment. For example, Sara implemented equity, diversity and inclusion training for all engineering design team members, impacting over 1,800 students.

Leading by innovation

Sara recognizes the importance of students learning beyond the classroom and innovates to create opportunities for experiential learning. In 2021, Sara launched the Engineering Career Peer Coach program to help provide career support to all engineering students. This program gives students with paid industry work experiences a way to share their experience and advice with fellow students.

 

Alison Munro

Administrative Director

Department of Botany, Faculty of Science

Alison Munro (she/her) is a natural leader who facilitates the success of students, faculty, and staff across the Department of Botany – even while navigating periods of significant change, such as relocating the department to a different building and experiencing changes in leadership. Alison looks for ways to improve workflows, make daily operations more inclusive, and create opportunities for staff to develop professionally.

Inclusive leadership

Alison is proactive in creating an inclusive, vibrant, and welcoming community with the Department of Botany. She was instrumental in establishing the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee in the department, ensuring that all actions and initiatives are examined and managed through an EDI lens. She demonstrates inclusivity and equity in her daily interactions, such as helping students update their names and pronouns so that their preferred identities are represented.

Leading by innovation

Alison implements creative and innovative ways to improve communications strategies despite limited resources. For example, with her leadership and support, the Botany IT team are developing a new graduate student dashboard where students can find information about stipend funding, committee meetings and program requirements.

President’s Staff Award for Enhancing UBC Experience

The President’s Staff Award for Enhancing the UBC Experience is presented to staff who provide a high level of customer service, creating innovative programs and opportunities for the community. They improve the value, efficiency and sustainability of the services they provide, and serve as role models through respectful and inclusive interactions. The President’s Staff Award for Creativity and Innovation is presented to staff who make innovative contributions to shape the future of research, teaching or work. They have contributed to innovative projects and initiatives or introduced sustainable methods and practices to meet organizational goals. Through their problem-solving skills, they create opportunities to help others navigate change and respond to shifting workplace dynamics.

Tazim (Taz) Ahamed

Clinic Coordinator for Graduate Pediatric Dentistry

Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry

Tazim (Taz) Ahamed (she/her) is welcoming, calm, and compassionate as she provides front-line support and service for patients, dental students, and faculty in the Pediatric Dentistry program.

Excellence in service

Taz goes above and beyond to provide a high level of service for patients. She is the first point of contact for parents and families that bring their children to the UBC Dental School, where she patiently takes the time to reassure parents and children that they are in excellent hands at UBC. Many of these clients are new to Canada, are often unfamiliar with the healthcare system, or have financial and language barriers that cause challenges in accessing dental services.

Taz also provides excellent service for students and her colleagues. She contributes to many unique aspects of the graduate pediatric dentistry program to make it a great learning environment for dentists training to become specialists.

Community impact

Taz is a role model for respectful and inclusive interactions in the workplace. As an advocate and champion for children’s oral health, Taz is instrumental in collaborating with students, faculty, and external organizations to make sure children get the care they need. This includes identifying charitable dental care funding programs and assisting parents with their applications to fund their child’s dental treatment.

 

Alison Williams

Laboratory Manager

International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Faculty of Medicine

A pillar in the ICORD community, Alison Williams (she/her) brings intelligence, positivity and passion to her work. Her contributions to research, education and community engagement help create a safe, inclusive and supportive environment.

Excellence in service

Ali continually improves her work while also eagerly supports others to succeed. Her sincere commitment and enthusiasm to contribute shine through in her interactions with the ICORD community, whether it is orienting new students, strengthening relationships with community stakeholders, or sharing in the responsibility of ensuring high-quality research for publications and grant applications. She mentors and supports students behind the scenes, and skillfully identifies strengths and opportunities for their growth.

Community impact

Ali facilitates effective collaboration and instills a rich sense of confidence and community among researchers, students, community partners and research participants with spinal cord injury. For example, she led the production of inclusive circuit training booklets and mentored community spin instructors in the inclusion of wheelchair users into conventional spin classes. She also adapted physical activity programming in community centers in Vancouver and Surrey.

Her efforts with the community not only build the foundation for ongoing outreach initiatives, but also benefit community partners who are confident and equipped to work with individuals with diverse bodies.

President’s Staff Award for Creativity and Innovation

The President’s Staff Award for Creativity and Innovation is presented to staff who make innovative contributions to shape the future of research, teaching or work. They have contributed to innovative projects and initiatives or introduced sustainable methods and practices to meet organizational goals. Through their problem-solving skills, they create opportunities to help others navigate change and respond to shifting workplace dynamics.

Sean Buxton

Program Support Electrical Engineer

Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Sean Buxton (he/him) is an exceptional problem solver who finds creative ways to advance research and teaching activities. Sean demonstrates an infectious commitment to fostering discovery and innovation, which enhances his department’s ability to deliver top-tier education by establishing a welcoming and inclusive space for work and teaching.  

Creative problem solving

Sean’s student-centred approach paves the way for innovative learning experiences. When COVID-19 limited student access to laboratory spaces on campus, Sean identified a low-cost and robust solution for the equipment needs of lab courses – with his prototype of ‘labs-in-a-box’, he redesigned the lab experience to be compact and efficient while still teaching fundamental concepts.  

He assembled and shipped more than a hundred boxes to students all over the world so they could take part in essential engineering education. This approach was so effective that it is now part of the ongoing classroom experience. 

Innovating for inclusion

Sean’s innovative ways to navigate change put people first and create opportunities for more inclusive and flexible learning. With ‘labs-in-a-box’, students had the flexibility to equally participate in activities, regardless of geographic location. By converting larger group lab work into experiments done individually or in pairs, ‘labs-in-a-box’ also facilitated more engagement and participation, including those who were less confident or traditionally underrepresented in engineering. 

 

Jamie Stockdale

Production Manager, Academic Media Support

Learning Services, UBC Sauder School of Business

Jamie Stockdale (he/him) is a leader in innovating and implementing new initiatives to navigate and facilitate change. From launching the UBC Sauder Learning Labs to establishing the Academic Media team, Jamie provides creative solutions to enhance the teaching, learning, and working experience at UBC Sauder School of Business.  

Creative problem solving

Jamie’s creative problem solving has established him as a go-to person for media support in his workplace. His expertise was pivotal to UBC Sauder’s pandemic response, particularly with the fully automated lecture recording system that he helped develop. This system facilitated the recording of all classes, mitigating student absences, and also reduced the technical burden for faculty and instructors by providing a nearly fully automated method for scheduling, processing, and distribution of class recordings.   

Innovating for inclusion

Jamie creates inclusive and accessible learning experiences. During the pandemic, professors at UBC Sauder were unable to travel and deliver courses for the International Master of Business Administration (IMBA). Jamie quickly responded to this challenge by converting asynchronous recording studios into synchronous broadcast studios within three weeks. In addition, Jamie supported and trained instructors, and technical and academic staff to adapt to the new model, which is still used today.  

His innovative solutions open the way to service instructors and students across the globe in various programs, such as the IMBA and also the LIFT program for students in Kenya and Ghana.  

President’s Staff Award for Advancing Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

The President’s Staff Award for Advancing Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence is presented to staff who show leadership in promoting inclusive excellence at UBC. This award honours efforts to advance equity and inclusion at UBC by removing barriers to full and active participation in university life, and to positively influence and engage others in equity and inclusion initiatives.

Kelly McIntosh

Director, Workplace Health Services

Human Resources

Kelly McIntosh (she/her) is driven to advance UBC’s inclusivity, excellence, and diversity goals through her leadership, knowledge-sharing, learning facilitation, and implementation of meaningful change across the UBC community.  

Creating inclusive spaces

Kelly’s strategic leadership and partnership-building played a vital role in launching UBC’s Centre for Workplace Accessibility (CWA) — a program dedicated to reducing barriers and providing support for employees with disabilities or ongoing medical conditions. Kelly drove the CWA forward from conception to fully operational programming, including hiring and training new staff, building resources and improving processes across both campuses. The CWA is key to creating an inclusive and accessible UBC by striving to increase disability inclusion literacy, provide safe, person-centered support for disabled faculty and staff, and develop training courses for all faculty and staff.  

Raising the bar for inclusion

Kelly is also committed to supporting the learning of others. She arranged her team to complete Trauma-Informed Practice training and extended the invitation to additional HR partners. She also leads the development of EDI training programs and a central accommodation fund for disabled faculty and staff.  

Kelly’s work with programs such as the CWA, Occupational & Preventive Health, and Workplace Health Services continues to raise the bar for inclusive workplaces at UBC. She prioritizes feedback from the disabled community and focuses on being trauma-informed, person-centered, confidential and supportive.   

 

Jennifer Pelletier

Senior Manager, Administration

Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science

Jennifer Pelletier (she/her) is committed to creating an inclusive, vibrant, and welcoming community and endeavours to create opportunities for others to join her. She brings her passion for equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI) and wellbeing to her work and provides a sounding board for students, faculty, and staff, making her workplace a safe and welcoming space.  

Creating inclusive spaces

Jen is a community builder who brings people together to create respectful environments and enhance inclusion. She is a leader for EDI initiatives within the department and the faculty; Jen develops and facilitates EDI workshops for faculty and staff, and embeds EDI content into graduate and undergraduate courses. 

As a creative and resourceful administrator, Jen rethinks how physical spaces can foster inclusion and build a culture of research collaboration. Jen has championed renovations that not only support technical excellence, but also the physical and psychological safety of people in the department — this includes creating social spaces where faculty and staff can connect, ensuring equitable access to office space.  

Raising the bar for inclusion

In addition to developing and delivering EDI-based training for students, faculty and staff, Jen is a key driver in embedding equitable practices within the Faculty. For example, she designed an equitable intake procedure for the undergraduate research program to increase the diversity of candidates, thus opening research to a broader range of students.  

President’s Staff Award for Wellbeing

The President’s Staff Award for Wellbeing is presented to staff who promote the social, physical, and/or mental health and wellbeing for those who study, work, and live at UBC. They develop welcoming and inclusive physical and virtual spaces to nurture community and connection. They take initiative to lead activities, embed wellbeing practices, and create opportunities for others. This award honours those who inspire community members to foster connections and create networks of care for themselves and each other.

Michelle Man

Communications Coordinator

Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine

Michelle Man (she/her) goes above and beyond to support her community to pursue wellbeing. From organizing events to teaching and leading mindfulness sessions, she is instrumental in fostering a culture and community where wellbeing is attainable and accessible to everyone.  

Creating community around wellness

Michelle is a community builder who enjoys bringing people together and fostering connections. Volunteering as a Workplace Wellbeing Ambassador, she leads initiatives to encourage wellbeing and also to support workplace productivity and team building. For example, Michelle regularly organizes activities for her department such as the Pick your Peak Stair Challenge or UBC Staff & Faculty Sports Day, and coordinates diverse speakers to share wellbeing practices, mind/body activities, and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) topics.  

Removing barriers to wellbeing

Michelle is a driver in making wellbeing activities and resources accessible. Recognizing the importance of wellbeing activities and meaningful social connections during the pandemic, Michelle worked to maximize participation and regularly conducted surveys and evaluations to make sure the needs of the community were being met.  

Through Michelle’s efforts, numerous initiatives were implemented to support the community, such as subsidized entry fees to organized races like the Vancouver Sun Run, free yoga mats for people to practice in the boardroom, and raised funds for gym memberships, fitness equipment and health promotion grants.  

President’s Staff Award for Collaborative Excellence

The President’s Staff Award for Collaborative Excellence is presented to a group of staff who demonstrate exceptional team effectiveness through meaningful collaboration, shared expertise, trust and respect, inclusivity, and effective resolution of conflicts or differing perspectives. They perform synergistically to overcome significant challenges and obstacles and achieve a common goal over and above the expectations of the job – and deliver high-value, high-quality outcomes that benefit the university and/or greater community. They collaborate and contribute beyond their own unit to make UBC a first-choice place to work, research, and teach.

Miki Fujita, Derrick Horne, EunKyoung Lee

Research Manager, Senior Electron Microscopy Technician, Research Technician

BioImaging Facility (BIF)

Dr. Miki Fujita (she/her), Derrick Horne (he/him), and EunKyoung Lee (she/her) — the UBC BioImaging Facility (BIF) team — are experts in their field and demonstrate excellent collaboration, communication, and trust as they serve hundreds of researchers from different research labs, hospitals, and local biotechnology industries. Thanks to their exceptional teamwork, BIF is a successful and welcoming shared research facility that is more than a collection of shared microscopes; it is a training and networking hub with impact across UBC and the international scientific community.  

Impact on community

The team works cooperatively to ensure the smooth operation of the facility, adequate training of all the users, and timely expertise for imaging projects for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and staff from various disciplines across the campus. Miki, Derrick, and EunKyoung demonstrate flexibility to support a diversity of scientific challenges and projects and are dedicated to researching technical solutions, accommodating experiment timelines, and patiently training students.  

Elevating UBC in work, research, and teaching

The facility staff are frequently acknowledged in student theses as well as scientific and biomedical published works. Thanks to the team’s collaboration and expertise, BIF is an ecosystem that supports students research and knowledge exchange, and transmits the highest standards of integrity, collegiality and service.  

 

Suzanne Richardson and Fred Woo

Manager and Assistant Manager

Management Team – Animal Care, Biosafety, Radiation Safety & Chemical Safety Committees

Suzanne Richardson (she/her) and Fred Woo (he/him) are the management team for the Animal Care, Biosafety, Radiation Safety, and Chemical Safety Committees. They collaborate to ensure and implement the highest standards of animal ethics and care in animal-based research; through their leadership, communication, and collaboration, they solve problems and build positive relationships with their diverse group of stakeholders. 

Impact on community

Under Suzanne and Fred’s leadership, UBC’s Animal Care Committee (ACC) prides itself on an atmosphere of collaboration, consensus-building, and inquiry to ensure the highest standards of animal ethics and care. They skillfully navigate myriad viewpoints and manage conflict resolution, facilitating meaningful conversation while ensuring that high research standards are understood and upheld. They proactively identify challenges and offer solutions while ensuring all voices are heard.  

Elevating UBC in work, research, and teaching

Suzanne and Fred’s work with ACC is exemplary, and they even serve as advisors and models for other Canadian animal care committees. They coordinate regularly to evaluate ACC protocols, renewals, and amendments, as well as prepare for mandatory audits and site visits by the Canadian Council on Animal Care. Suzanne and Fred raise the standard for high quality work and play a critical part in making UBC one of the top universities in animal-based research. 

Congratulations, all!