Vancouver General Hospital
Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
garth.warnock@vch.ca
Dr. Warnock was born in Alberta where he completed his undergraduate medical degree after studies at the University of Lethbridge and the University of Alberta. He went on to complete a residency-training program in surgery where he developed research interests in the transplantation of pancreatic islets of Langerhans for type 1 diabetes. He completed his Fellowship experience at the Nuffield Department of Surgery in Oxford and then returned to the Faculty of the University of Alberta, supported throughout his career by investigator awards from Alberta's Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.
His research contributions included:
He conducted clinical studies in islet cell transplantation, which led to Canada's first islet cell transplants and the initial long-term success after islet cell transplantation worldwide. He developed clinical surgical expertise in management of pancreatic and gastrointestinal disorders and promoted undergraduate and postgraduate education programs. He has promoted research through the Canadian Association of Surgical Chairs, the Canadian Association of General Surgeons, and the American College of Surgeons.
Dr. Warnock joined the University of British Columbia in 2001 as Woodward Professor and Head of the Department of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief of Vancouver Hospital.
In Vancouver, he has established a clinical pancreatic islet cell transplantation program and has reported results to national and international scientific learned societies and universities. He has also garnered research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to investigate prevention of immune injury to islet cells.
In 2005, Dr. Warnock's research was honoured with the 2005 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Gallie Lecture and the Governor General of Canada Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) for bringing distinction to Canada.
In addition to his continued dedication to research, Dr. Warnock leads a strong commitment to teaching UBC surgical students, continues to do clinical surgery for gastrointestinal and pancreatic disorders, and administers the affairs of the UBC Department of Surgery.