About Us
Welcome to the British Columbia Node of the Canadian Bioinformatics Hub–Canada’s platform for Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Data Science skills and community development. The national CBH network consists of six Regional Nodes hosted by partner institutions in strategic regions: Atlantic, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, the Prairies, and British Columbia. Each node plays a crucial role in CBH’s mission by offering localized training programs, building partnerships with regional stakeholders, and providing opportunities for active involvement of community members in their initiatives.
The BC Node is based at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, representing all of British Columbia. This regional team is responsible for representing your bioinformatics and computational biology interests at the national level.
Our resources are structured around the platform’s two main pillars: training and community. The Training Portal will serve as a central hub for all partner-led bioinformatics and professional development training programs aligned with competency-based learning paths. It will also host our training awards program. The Community portal will extend the trainee experience with valuable resources and activities, including career recognition awards, mentorship opportunities, networking events, a national conference, and regional bioinformatics user groups.
CBH British Columbia Team
William Hsiao, PhD
Director, CBH British Columbia
Associate Professor, Simon Fraser University
Dr. William Hsiao is an associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at Simon Fraser University and the principal investigator of the Center for Infectious Disease Genomics and One Health. Before joining FHS in 2020, he was the chief bioinformatician, a senior scientist at the BC Centre for Disease Control Public Health Laboratory (BCCDC PHL), and a clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Hsiao was awarded the Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar Award in 2019. Dr. Hsiao’s research incorporates data science and knowledge engineering to support public health data sharing, integration, and harmonization. With experience conducting genomics and data science research both in academia and in government laboratories (public health and animal health), Dr. Hsiao is dedicated to training the next generation of bioinformaticians in public health and infectious disease research. He is the lead faculty advisor and organizer for the Vancouver Bioinformatics Users Group (VanBUG), demonstrating his commitment to fostering community involvement. His diverse experiences give him a unique perspective, from understanding trainee needs to strategically positioning bioinformatics programming within the Canadian landscape.
Tian Rabbani, MPH
Regional Coordinator, CBH British Columbia
Researcher & Project Lead, Center for Infectious Disease Genomics and One Health
Tian completed her Master of Public Health in 2022 from Simon Fraser University and is currently a researcher and project lead at the Center for Infectious Disease Genomics and One Health (CIDGOH). She has been extensively involved in researching SARS-CoV-2 data-sharing through the Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN), alongside leading efforts to understand metadata reporting in genomic epidemiology studies for outbreak and surveillance investigation. Her background in public health and knowledge in contextual data reporting intersect harmoniously to help inform current and future emergency response initiatives.
As British Columbia’s regional coordinator for the Canadian Bioinformatics Hub, Tian is passionate about and dedicated to connecting bioinformatics communities and groups across the province. She aims to grow, develop, and expand data science and bioinformatics tools and training materials for prospective or new professionals, as well as for those looking to advance in their current careers. Tian believes accessibility, access, and availability of these tools and training opportunities are the cornerstone of growing our bioinformatics communities across the region.
Contact
To contact CBH British Columbia, email bc@bioinformatics.ca or use our contact form. For general inquiries about CBH, contact our central leadership unit at info@bioinformatics.ca.
Additionally, visit our LinkedIn page for regional updates.