Leadership update from Robert McMaster and Patricia Daly
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Teresa Tsang has been appointed Executive Director, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) and Associate Dean, Research (VCHRI), Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia (UBC) effective to December 31, 2028.
Dr. Teresa Tsang is a professor and Associate Head, Research in the Department of Medicine, as well as co-lead of the UBC Data Science and Health Research Cluster. She is also Director of Echocardiography at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) and UBC Hospital, and Director of the UBC Artificial Intelligence Echo Core Lab, as well as co-lead of the UBC Data Science and Health Research Cluster.
Dr. Tsang completed her cardiology fellowship from the University of Alberta with awards from the Medical Research Council of Canada and Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. She further pursued a clinical epidemiology fellowship program at the National Institutes of Health. Subsequently, Dr. Tsang completed a fellowship in advanced echocardiography at the Mayo Clinic, where she became a Mayo Foundation Scholar and was recruited to the Mayo Clinic as cardiologist and clinician-scientist, achieving the rank of Professor of Medicine in 2006.
As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Tsang’s research focuses on using large health datasets to advance patient care and strengthen health care delivery. Her work has focused on the prediction and prevention of adverse age-related cardiovascular events, including atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke and cognitive dysfunction. Dedicated to improving diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease, her team has developed machine-learning models for echo imaging, enabling automated assessment of cardiac structure and function.
As a champion for health equity in cardiac imaging, Dr. Tsang is working on artificial intelligence solutions to bring cutting-edge imaging capabilities to remote and underserved areas. Her impactful contributions to the field, particularly in atrial remodeling, cardiomyopathy, diastolic function, and artificial intelligence in echo imaging were recognized with the 2023 Canadian Society of Echocardiography Achievement Award.
As Associate Dean, Research, VCHRI and Executive Director, VCHRI, Dr. Tsang will shape the health research strategy for the Institute, collaborating with the Vice Dean, Research, senior leadership at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and other health authority research institutes. She will play a pivotal role in integrating and coordinating health research across the Faculty, VCH, partner universities and health authorities. Dr. Tsang’s key priorities include nurturing talents, integrating research into clinical care, and fostering collaborative efforts to address shared challenges.
Dr. Tsang’s appointment follows the leadership of Dr. David Granville. We wish to recognize and thank Dr. Granville for his outstanding leadership and commitment to advancing research innovation and industry partnerships over the past three years. His instrumental role in developing the VCHRI five-year strategic plan has ensured the translational nature and excellence of our research.
Please join us in thanking Dr. David Granville for his continued contributions and welcoming Dr. Tsang on her new role.
W. Robert McMaster, D.Phil
Vice Dean, Research
Faculty of Medicine
The University of British Columbia
Patricia Daly, MD, FRCPC
Vice President, Public Health and Chief Medical Health Officer
Vancouver Coastal Health
