Dr. Christopher West
The Southern Medical Program is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Christopher West and Dr. Brodie Sakakibara to the Chronic Disease Prevention Program (CDPP). Dr. West is a translational research scientist and Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences and ICORD (International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries). Dr. Sakakibara is a research scientist and Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy.
Dr. West earned a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at Essex University followed by a MSc and PhD in Exercise Physiology at Brunel University. He then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) at UBC. Dr. West is a Michael Smith Foundation Health Research Scholar and a Heart and Stroke National New Investigator who served as an Assistant Professor with the UBC School of Kinesiology for the past four years. His research primarily focuses on the investigation of autonomic and cardiorespiratory consequences of SCI. His research bridges both discovery science and clinical spectrums. Most recently, Dr. West’s research explores the relationship between exercise, physical activity, and cardiac function following spinal cord injury.
Dr. Brodie Sakakibara
Dr. Sakakibara completed his BSc and PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at UBC. Most recently, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Simon Fraser University and UBC investigating the impact of a telehealth intervention to improve health for individuals who have experienced a stroke. Dr. Sakakibara is the recent recipient of the 2018 Michael Smith Foundation Health Research Scholar Award. His primary research focuses on telehealth and self-management of behavioural risk factors to minimize morbidity and mortality associated with stroke and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Sakakibara’s approach emphasizes the direct involvement of health-sector decision makers, clinicians, community partners and patients to foster patient-centered research and knowledge translation.
Drs. West and Sakakibara will work closely with Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis to support the development of the CDPP. They will foster new research and knowledge translation focused on chronic disease and work collaboratively with stakeholders from UBC Okanagan, Interior Health, and private sector to translate scientific innovations into practice.