It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Dr. Bernie Bressler on December 29, 2025.
A distinguished academic, visionary research leader and trusted mentor, Dr. Bernard H. (Bernie) Bressler played a defining role in shaping health research in British Columbia. His leadership at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) helped establish an integrated, high-performing research ecosystem whose impact endures today.
Dr. Bressler’s most transformative contributions were made within Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). As vice-president, research at VCH and executive director of VCHRI, he oversaw the creation of the institute, helping to build one of Canada’s leading health research organizations. Under his leadership, VCHRI emerged as a model for integrating academic discovery with clinical care, strengthening partnerships between the health system and the research community and enabling innovation that improves patient outcomes locally and internationally.
Alongside his leadership at VCHRI, Dr. Bressler held a series of senior academic roles at UBC, where he was professor emeritus in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences and a pioneering researcher in skeletal muscle biophysics. He joined UBC in 1976 after beginning his academic career at the University of Saskatchewan in 1973. Over the course of his tenure, he served as head of the Department of Anatomy, associate dean of research and graduate studies in the Faculty of Medicine and vice-president, research. In these roles, he was widely respected for his strategic vision, academic rigour and commitment to building institutional research capacity.
Dr. Bressler was also a key architect of UBC’s research and innovation infrastructure. He was actively involved in the growth of the University–Industry Liaison Office, helping to establish it as a global leader in technology transfer and biotechnology spin-offs. His efforts strengthened the translation of discovery into real-world impact and contributed significantly to the development of British Columbia’s life sciences sector. In recognition of these contributions, he received the Life Sciences BC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
Beyond VCH and UBC, Dr. Bressler made important contributions to research governance and collaboration. From 2011 to 2017, he served as chair of the Board of Directors of the Rick Hansen Institute, where he supported the expansion of international collaborations in spinal cord injury research and care. During his tenure, the institute achieved Imagine Canada accreditation in 2016, a mark of organizational excellence attained by only a small number of non-profit organizations in Canada at the time.
Dr. Bressler was known for his warmth, wisdom and principled leadership. He will be deeply missed by colleagues, trainees and research partners across VCHRI, UBC and the broader research community, all of whom benefited from his vision, mentorship and enduring commitment to advancing health research.
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