UBC In The News

Meet the Canadian scientist who paved the way for groundbreaking mRNA COVID vaccines

Quirks & Quarks interviewed UBC professor of biochemistry and molecular biology Dr. Pieter Cullis, who pioneered the mRNA vaccine delivery system.
CBC Quirks & Quarks

Humans have become the biggest selection force in evolution

UBC evolutionary biologist Dr. Sarah Otto discussed how human interference is not just altering the present state of biodiversity, but also strongly influencing the course of the future.
Popular Science

Ice shelf breakup causes Antarctic glacier to melt faster; sea levels at risk

Dr. Michele Koppes, a UBC geography professor and glaciologist, was quoted in an article about the Pine Island Glacier, the fastest-melting glacier in Antarctica.
Voice of America

Fears for the future of Cantonese as China urges Hong Kong to legally recognize Mandarin

Dr. Raymond Pai, a lecturer of Cantonese at UBC, commented on a new report by China’s Education Ministry that urges Hong Kong to legally recognize Mandarin and simplified Chinese.
ABC News (Australia)

Burnaby School District apologizes for exam asking how First Nations benefited from colonial relationships

Dr. Shannon Leddy, a professor of teaching in UBC’s department of curriculum and pedagogy, spoke about how Indigenous peoples are framed in the B.C. school curriculum.
CBC

Video shows Alberta child-services employee shout profanities at Indigenous advocate

Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond (Aki-kwe), academic director of the Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC and professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, commented on a video circulated on social media of an Alberta child-services employee shouting profanities at an Indigenous child-welfare advocate.
Globe and Mail (subscription)

Indigenous children continue to be failed in government 'care'

Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond (Aki-kwe), academic director of the Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC and professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, was quoted about the growing proportion of Indigenous children in care while the proportion with adoption plans has decreased.
Postmedia via Vancouver SunThe Province

Luxury and hunger: Two faces of an unequal pandemic

Dr. Amartya Lahiri, a Royal Bank research professor at UBC’s Vancouver School of Economics, was quoted about India’s COVID-19 vaccination effort in an article about contrasting fortunes of India’s rich and poor.
Bloomberg

Doctors and scientists are fighting vaccine misinformation on TikTok

Vice mentioned Dr. Anna Blakney, a professor in UBC’s Michael Smith Laboratories and school of biomedical engineering, who is part of the Team Halo initiative, a group of scientists that combat falsehoods about COVID-19 and promote accurate vaccine science on social media.
Vice

Some OCD patients may experience a decrease in symptoms during the pandemic, new study finds

UBC psychiatry professor Dr. Evelyn Stewart gave comments about the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of OCD patients.
CTV

Misinformation on social media linked to higher spread of COVID-19 in new study

Researchers at UBC and York University found a potential correlation between social media use at the start of the pandemic and the spread of COVID-19, which researchers suggest could be due to widespread misinformation.
CTV

Entering post-COVID world sparks anxiety for some, but uneasiness is normal reaction: experts

UBC psychiatry professor Dr. Evelyn Stewart spoke about post-pandemic anxiety. She said COVID-19 has been a perfect reason not to do some less-pleasant things in life, and that aspect is going to be gone.
National Post via Ottawa CitizenMontreal GazetteVancouver Sun

Incentives can provide ‘a little push’ to overcome vaccine hesitancy: expert

Dr. Stephen Hoption Cann, a clinical professor at UBC’s school of population and public health, and Dr. Azim Shariff, a professor of social psychology, commented on offering incentives to those who are COVID-19 vaccine-hesitant.
CityNewsNews 1130

Physicians were suffering burnout and then the pandemic made it worse, UBC study finds

A study led by UBC medicine professor Dr. Nadia Khan found 68 per cent of physicians faced burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic and noted over 20 percent were considering quitting the profession.
Black Press Media via Surrey Now-LeaderMaple Ridge-Pitt Meadows NewsLangley Advance TimesAbbotsford NewsChilliwack ProgressVictoria NewsKelowna Capital News, Glacier Media via Vancouver is AwesomeSquamish ChiefCastanet

Does evolution want us to drink?

Dr. Edward Slingerland, Distinguished University Scholar and professor of philosophy at UBC, discussed the evolutionary logic behind our drive to get drunk.
Wall Street Journal (subscription)

How to help the economy: Vaccinate all for free, jobs programme for urban poor, GST cut for consumer durables

Dr. Amartya Lahiri, a Royal Bank research professor of economics at UBC, discussed what India’s additional spending should be directed towards to support their people.
Times of India

A clear vision, carbon offsets and science needed for the future health of B.C.’s forests  

Dr. John Innes, a professor and dean at UBC’s faculty of forestry, wrote his response to B.C.’s government’s policy intentions paper that indicates their intention to initiate a number of changes needed in the forest sector.
Vancouver Sun

It’s time to use zoning to benefit those who need it most

Patrick Condon, the James Taylor chair in Landscape and Livable Environments at UBC’s school of architecture and landscape architecture, says instead of fuelling ever higher land prices, we have tools to keep costs and rents low.
The Tyee