Research
The BC Lupus Society is proud to provide funding support for projects, clinical training, and research
Through fundraising activities such as Walk Your Way for Lupus, past galas and casino nights, bequests, legacies and donations, the Lupus Society is able to do our part so that research in BC and other parts of Canada is sustainable.
Collaboration Through Research
The Autoimmune Biomedical Collaborative (ABC) strives to forge connections across research, clinical practice, and patient needs to identify commonalities across autoimmune diseases, develop potential therapeutic strategies, and facilitate innovative solutions to global autoimmune disease health challenges.
As part of our commitment to supporting the lupus community through education and awareness, we are pleased to share information about ABC's work and the latest developments in autoimmune disease research. We encourage you to learn more about their initiatives, ongoing projects, and opportunities to get involved by visiting the Autoimmune Biomedical Collaborative website.
Through collaboration and research, we can help advance understanding and improve outcomes for people living with lupus and other autoimmune diseases.
Opportunities to Connect & Learn about Clinical Trials
The BC Lupus Society is committed to helping people living with lupus access opportunities that support research and innovation in lupus care.
BC Lupus Research Scholar
Antonio Aviña-Zubieta (2021-2025)
Senior Scientist of Rheumatology, MD, MSc, PhD, FRCP
Appointments
Associate Professor, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia
BC Lupus Society Research Scholar
Senior Scientist, Arthritis Research Canada/Arthrite-Recherche Canada
Walter & Marilyn Booth Research Scholar
Research Interests
Rheumatology
Economic burden and cardiovascular complications associated with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs)
Born in Mexico, Dr. Antonio Aviña-Zubieta graduated as a Medical Doctor from the University of Guadalajara in 1989. He did his Internal Medicine training from 1990 to 1991 at the University of Guadalajara, and from 1991 to 1993 he pursued a rheumatology fellowship at the Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM). He has been a National Scientist in Mexico since 1998. After his formal training in Mexico, Dr. Aviña-Zubieta did a Clinical Research Fellowship at the University of Alberta from 1993 to 1995, and subsequently completed a Master’s Degree in Experimental Medicine at the same university in 1997. In 2010, Dr. Aviña-Zubieta received his PhD in Experimental Medicine/Epidemiology from the University of British Columbia and began a faculty appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Medicine at the same university on July 1st of that year. Dr. Aviña-Zubieta is currently a Senior Research Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada.
We recognize our partnership with Dr. Aviña-Zubieta is very unique – in fact this may be the only such arrangement in North America and possibly internationally. We can be exceptionally proud that BCLS has introduced major lupus research in BC and has been able to sustain significant research for almost a decade. Our utmost gratitude goes to a friend of BC Lupus Society, who made this unique research opportunity possible with her research bequest to BCLS.

