Michael Smith Health Research BC welcomes Dr. Geoff Payne as President and CEO
3 November 2025
Message from Dr. Max Blouw
Chair, Board of Directors
The Michael Smith Health Research BC Board of Directors welcomes Dr. Geoff Payne as President and Chief Executive Officer effective today (November 3, 2025). We invite you to join us in congratulating Geoff on his new role.
As Chair, it is my pleasure to welcome Dr. Payne on behalf of my colleagues on the Board. Geoff brings deep experience as a researcher and academic leader. His career has been built on a foundation of strong commitments to collaboration and excellence. His leadership will be instrumental as Health Research BC continues to deepen and accelerate its work to strengthen BC’s health research ecosystem.
Dr. Payne joins Health Research BC following five years as President and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), where he championed research excellence, expanded opportunities for innovation, and strengthened community and health system partnerships.
A physiologist by training, Dr. Payne holds a PhD in cardiovascular and renal physiology from Memorial University of Newfoundland and completed postdoctoral training at Yale University. He joined UNBC in 2004 as a founding faculty member of the Northern Medical Program and later held several leadership roles, including Vice-President, Research, and founding Director of the UNBC Health Research Institute.
“I’m honoured to join Health Research BC and to work alongside such a talented team,” says Dr. Payne. “Health research has never been more important, and I look forward to listening, learning, and collaborating as we continue to build a system that attracts, develops, and retains exceptional talent.”
Over the weeks and months to come, the Board looks forward to working with Dr. Payne to sustain the critical foundation Health Research BC plays in this province in funding people and research, partnering on shared opportunities, and supporting a health research system that improves health and health care, and strengthens the economy.
