Killam Awards for Drs. Cox and Kwan; PCF Young Investigator Award for Dr. Kwan

This week, Dr. Edmund Kwan received the 2021 Amgen-PCF Young Investigator Award, and Dr. Kwan and Dr. Michael Cox were both recipients of UBC Killam awards.

Dr. Kwan's Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award (mentors: Dr. Alexander Wyatt, Dr. Gerhardt Attard) is for a project titled Integrated Tissue and Circulating Tumour DNA Profiling to Risk Stratify De Novo Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer Prior to Systemic Therapy.

Through a generous endowment provided by Dorothy and Izaak Walton Killam, UBC annually awards Killam awards and fellowships to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty in recognition and support of excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship.

The Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowships bring outstanding scholars from around the world to UBC in order to engage in innovative research that will enhance interdisciplinary collaborations and help establish them in leadership positions in the academic and wider community. More information about Dr. Kwan's research is available in a UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies video.

The Killam Teaching Prize is awarded annually to faculty nominated by students, colleagues and alumni in recognition of excellence in teaching. Among the criteria taken into consideration for this award is the ability to motivate students and stimulate critical thinking, sustained teaching excellence and development of innovative approaches to teaching methodology and curricula. Dr. Cox's award is further detailed at the UBC website, and copied here:

Dr. Michael Cox exemplifies the commitment it takes to excel as an educator in a dedicated research environment. From creating sustainable funding opportunities, to interdisciplinary teaching, curriculum development, and one-on-one mentoring, Dr. Cox is fully engaged in all levels of graduate education. He prioritizes non-didactic learning that empowers students to take charge of content, embrace the challenges of refining technical writing and formal presentations, and nurture communication skills needed for success in their careers. Using his gift to inspire the next generation of scientists to pursue knowledge and foster critical thinking, Dr. Cox has selflessly dedicated himself to advancing education excellence.