Meet the New Residents and Fellows!

Dr. Joshua Ma, Dr. Mohammadalli Saffarzadeh, Dr. Wendy Qui, and Dr. Alex Wong will join the Department of Urologic Sciences along with:

Uro-Oncology Fellows: Dr. Takeshi Namekawa, Dr. Andrew Deytrikh and Dr. Thomas Reeves

Pediatrics Fellow: Dr. Abdullah AlShalan and Dr. Harshita Kour

Endourology Fellow: Dr. Runhan Ren and Dr. Ali Algonaim

Andrology Fellow: Dr. Laurianne Rita Garabed

Residents:

Joshua Ma was born and raised in Vancouver where he attended UBC for a degree in Cellular and Physiological Sciences. It was at that time when he met Dr. Peter Black and started work on various urological oncology projects as a coop student, such as the Canadian Bladder Cancer Information System (CBCIS). He continued to pursue research in Urology while completing medical school at UBC. This naturally led to his discovery of the diversity and commitment to innovation in Urology during his clinical years, drawing him towards the field. Outside of medicine, he enjoys jamming out to music, checking out the newest restaurant on the block, and exploring the outdoors!

Wendy Qui was raised in Richmond BC after she and her parents settled after immigrating from Sanming, China. Wendy obtained a B.Sc from the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, and was excited to return back home for medical school at the University of British Columbia. During clerkship rotations, Wendy discovered urology by chance and quickly discovered her passion for the specialty’s variety of surgical procedures and positive impact for patient’s quality of life. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to join UBC’s Urology community and start her training under world-renowned surgeons and researchers. In between calls and shifts, she hopes to continue finding opportunities to travel, enjoy Vancouver’s amazing food scene and play badminton.

Mohammadalli Saffarzadeh was born in Iran and came to Port Moody, British Columbia. He completed his undergraduate degree in Pharmacology and continued his studies at UBC for medical school. He was introduced to urology through research at the Vancouver Prostate Centre as an undergraduate, and later during his medical studies under the mentorship of Dr. Connor Forbes and Dr. Alex Kavanagh. He was taken by the specialty after seeing the tremendous impact made on patients’ quality of life and the diversity of surgical interventions. In his spare time, Mohammadali loves exploring Canada’s outdoors by cycling and backpacking. You might also catch him learning how to boulder at the Hive or trying to find the perfect banana bread recipe.

Alex Wong was born and raised in Hong Kong. After completing medical school at the University of Hong Kong, he did several years of residency in urology in Hong Kong. He loves everything urology has to offer – a perfect blend of medicine and surgery, a wide spectrum of operative techniques, excellent patient outcomes, friendly colleagues, and never-ending innovations. Since realizing that Canada is the right place for him and his family to thrive, he has always dreamt of becoming a resident at UBC Urology. With leading experts in every field, an enormous caseload, and a great program infrastructure, he is thrilled to start a new page in his career to serve the population of British Columbia. Work aside, Alex has recently become a father and he cherishes every moment with his family, including changing diapers. He also enjoys playing volleyball (was once the captain of his high school volleyball team), cooking (has two cookbooks as thick as Campbell’s) and coffee roasting.

Clinical Fellows:

Runhan Ren grew up in Ottawa. He did his undergraduate degree in Life Sciences at Queen’s University, and completed his medical school there as well. He moved out west to complete his Urology residency training at the University of Alberta, and is now moving west again to Vancouver. He is interested in stone disease and BPH management and excited to be starting fellowship here with the group. Outside the hospital, Runhan enjoys keeping up with the latest Marvel shows and exploring the local food scene.

Takeshi Namekawa