Division of Medical Sciences

Innovation in medical research

The Division of Medical Sciences promotes scholarship and innovation in medical education at UVic and expands the university’s involvement in interdisciplinary research areas that address societal health needs. 

The major research areas in the Division are neuroscience and genetics.  Within the neurosciences, both graduate and Post Doctoral Fellows are studying Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, inherited developmental disorders, Alzheimer’s Disease, stroke and how the process of aging changes the brain.  The scientific work in genetics is focused on health issues in Aboriginal populations.

The Division is the academic and basic science research structure that underpins the Island Medical Program (IMP) at UVic.  Within the IMP, research is recognized as a critical component of medical education.

A lasting gift to health care on Vancouver Island

The Island Medical Program, based at the University of Victoria, is part of a unique provincial plan to increase the number of new physicians in British Columbia and to encourage them to establish their practices in under-served areas of the province.

It costs medical students about $20,000 a year for their training, not taking into account their living expenses. "That's a huge burden for the students and their families,” says Dr. Oscar Casiro, Regional Associate Dean, IMP, and Head of the Division of Medical Sciences. "We really appreciate having financial support from our community. It’s a wonderful lasting gift to health care on Vancouver Island."

For more information on how you can support the Division of Medical Sciences or the Island Medical Program, contact Ms. Katherine Blake, Development Coordinator, at 250-721-6102, email kablake@uvic.ca.

To donate now, go to our online giving form, click “Other” and enter either “Division of Medical Sciences Fund” or “Island Medical Program Bursary Fund” in the “Comments” section.  Thank you.