Brian Kwon

Dr. Brian Kwon is a Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia (UBC), affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine. He is also an attending spine surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital and Principal Investigator at ICORD (International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries). His clinical focus includes adult spine trauma, spinal cord injuries, and non-traumatic conditions like infections and degeneration. Dr. Kwon leads the Kwon Lab for Spinal Cord Injury Research, emphasizing translational research to bridge clinical and laboratory findings.

Education: PhD in Neuroscience (UBC, 2004) and a spine surgery fellowship in Philadelphia (2003). His research explores acute spinal cord injury management, biomarkers, implantable sensors, and hemodynamic strategies. Key projects include the International Spinal Cord Injury Biobank (ISCIB), which accelerates global SCI research through specimen sharing.

Research Interests:

• Spinal cord injury mechanisms and therapies
• Neuroprotection and biomarker development
• Implantable sensor technology
• Hemodynamic management post-injury

Recent articles focus on surgical techniques, biomarker landscapes, and clinical guidelines for SCI management.

Awards: 2022 Distinguished G. Heiner Sell Lectureship from the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA). Grants include $24M from Canada’s New Frontiers Fund for biomaterial-based SCI treatments.

Labs/Teams: Kwon Lab at ICORD, collaborating globally via ISCIB. Advises students including Adam Doelman (SPR award winner), Cam, and Farnaz (ICORD symposium awardees).