Dr. Sharmila Anandasabapathy joins UBC as Dean, VP Health

The University of British Columbia (UBC) has chosen Dr. Sharmila Anandasabapathy, a top doctor and scientist from the United States, to be the new Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and vice president of health. She will begin her five-year term on November 1, 2025.

Dr. Anandasabapathy is known for her outstanding work in cancer detection, health technology, and helping people around the world. She is currently a Vice President and senior dean at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She also teaches medicine there and is a specialist in digestive system diseases.

UBC leaders are very happy with her appointment. Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, UBC’s President, said she is a great match for the university because of her smart and team-friendly leadership. He believes she will help improve health research and education, both in Canada and across the world.

Dr. Gage Averill, the academic leader at UBC’s Vancouver campus, said Dr. Anandasabapathy’s career shows her strong dedication to helping people through science and health care. She has worked in many countries and understands what communities need.

Dr. Lesley Cormack, who leads UBC’s Okanagan campus, said that Dr. Anandasabapathy brings deep knowledge in both science and real-world health care. She said the new Dean will help UBC expand health programs, build stronger connections with communities, and turn research into useful results for people everywhere.

Dr. Anandasabapathy is respected worldwide for creating simple, low-cost tools to catch stomach cancers early. She leads major international health studies and has received big grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

She shared her excitement about joining UBC and said, “UBC is an amazing place full of talent and ideas. I’m honored to join this community and work together to face today’s biggest health challenges.”

Dr. Anandasabapathy is not only a doctor but also a researcher and teacher. She has worked on everything from lab discoveries to community health programs. She also leads Baylor’s global partnerships and projects focused on helping poor and underserved areas.

She has a degree in English Literature from Yale University and became a doctor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her training continued at top hospitals in New York, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Dr. Anandasabapathy will take over from Dr. Dermot Kelleher, who has led UBC’s Faculty of Medicine since 2015 and became the first Vice-President, of Health in 2018. Dr. Kelleher played a big role in training more doctors and health workers across British Columbia. He also helped UBC become a leader in health research and created partnerships that strengthened Canada’s fight against major health problems, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

UBC’s President thanked Dr. Kelleher for his hard work and dedication to improving health care in the province and across Canada. With Dr. Anandasabapathy stepping into this important role, UBC hopes to continue making a difference in health and education for everyone.