This WACH program is the only interdisciplinary MSc and PhD training program in BC and in Canada in women+ and children’s health sciences research.
The program is jointly offered through the UBC Departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Pediatrics, and is interdisciplinary, building on the strengths of our faculty members, whose research encompasses biomedical, clinical, health services, and population health.
Current areas of research:
Biomedical
- Placental biology
- Trophoblast biology
- Ovarian and gynecological cancer
- Endometriosis
- Reproductive and molecular endocrinology
- Genetic and epigenetic aspects of reproduction
- Sexual psychophysiology
- Model systems
- Childhood diabetes
- Pediatric cancer biology
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Immunology
- Transplant biology
- Immunometabolism
- Pain
- Neurodevelopment
- Mental illness
- Nutrition
- Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Clinical
- Ovarian and gynecological cancer
- Endometriosis
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Maternal mental health
- Minimally invasive and robotic surgery
- Pre-eclampsia
- Reproductive infectious diseases
- Diabetes complications
- Childhood cancer treatments
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Immunology
- Rare diseases
- Inborn errors of metabolism
- Human nutrition
- Congenital heart disease
- Transplant medicine
- Cardiovascular disease
- Neonatology
- Clinical pharmacology
- Pediatric psychiatry
- Asthma and allergy
Health Services
- Knowledge translation
- Implementation science
- Surgical outcomes
- Maternal, fetal, and infant health services
- Gynecologic health services
- Perinatal substance use
- Cervical cancer screening
- Social determinants of health
- Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
- Vaccine epidemiology
- Play and child development
- Global health
Population Health
- Perinatal epidemiology
- Family planning
- Maternal and newborn population health
- Cancer prevention
- Gynecologic cancer
- Prescription drug use during pregnancy
- Reproductive health of marginalized women
- Digital health
- Quality of care
- Health systems delivery
WACH Program Co-Directors
Dr Alexander Beristain
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Dr. James Lim
Department of Pediatrics
Dr. Beristain is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and scientist at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, where he is a member of the Healthy Starts research theme.
Dr. Beristain grew up on Vancouver Island and completed his PhD at UBC in the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences graduate program. His research interests in development and stem cell biology led him to the University of Toronto to postdoc in Rama Khokha’s lab, after which he moved back to UBC in 2012 to start his independent lab. His current research focus is on placental development, which a specific interest in human trophoblast stem cell biology and trophoblast differentiation. He loves the outdoors, especially ski touring and hiking in the mountains.
WACH Administration
Kathleen Oosthuizen
WACH Program Manager
Marie Markovic
WACH Sr. Program Assistant
Dr. Chinten James Lim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia and an Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. As Co-Director of the WACH+ Program, Dr. Lim brings deep expertise in pediatric oncology, tumor biology, and the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance. His interdisciplinary research integrates cell biology, immunology, and biomedical engineering to explore how the tumor microenvironment and integrin-mediated adhesion influence therapeutic outcomes.
Dr. Lim is committed to advancing translational research and mentoring the next generation of scientists in women’s and children’s health