Meet the Team

Dr. Brian Rodrigues is a Professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He currently serves as a member of all of the major grant review panels including the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Diabetes Canada, and CIHR, and is a member of the BC Diabetes Research Network. Dr. Rodrigues came to Canada in 1983 and obtained a Masters and a PhD degree in Pharmacology at UBC. Following completion of a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor at UBC in 1993.

Throughout his career, Dr. Rodrigues has pursued his interest in diabetes and heart research with funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, CIHR, Diabetes Canada, and Pfizer. His research findings have been published extensively and he is actively involved in the training of graduate students. He has graduated 15 PhD students, many of whom later completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard, Yale, NIH, Oxford, and the University of Toronto. 6 are currently Assistant or Associate Professors and independent investigators.

During diabetes, the heart switches to using fats exclusively as an energy supply. Dr. Rodrigues is interested in examining the mechanism of how fat fuels are provided to the heart and how excess fats can lead to cardiac disease. Appreciating this mechanism should allow the identification of novel targets for therapeutic intervention to prevent heart failure during diabetes.

Selection of Awards

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“Teacher of the Year - First Year Teaching Award: Entry-to-Practice PharmD” UBC, 2022

“Teacher of the Year - First Year Teaching Award: BPSc program” UBC, 2022

“Teacher of the Year - First Year Teaching Award: BPSc program” UBC, 2021

“Teacher of the Year - First Year Teaching Award: Entry-to-Practice PharmD” UBC, 2019

“Excellence in Pharmaceutical Sciences – 3rd Year Teaching Award” UBC, 2016

“Excellence in Pharmaceutical Sciences – 3rd Year Teaching Award” UBC, 2015

“Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal” Government of Canada, 2013

Commemorative medal for the dedicated contributions to the diabetes community in Canada

"Award for Excellence in Pharmaceutical Teaching" Bristol-Myers Squibb, 2007

"Award for Excellence in Pharmaceutical Teaching" Bristol-Myers Squibb, 2005

"Killam Teaching Award" UBC, 2004

Selection of Media

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“Why do people with diabetes have cardiovascular disease?” Diabetes Canada's ‘Ask the Experts’ series, 2022

“MEDTalks: Unlocking diabetes 100 years after insulin”, UBC Alumni, Sept 21st 2021

“Diabetes: From Beta Cells to Bicycles” BCDRN Podcast, May 26th 2021

“Diabetes and Heart Disease” Heart and Stroke Foundation Holiday Season Celebration, 2016