Dr. Ayesha Vawda, MD, FRCPC, has been the LifeLabs Deputy Medical Director since 2021 and Clinical Director of Hematopathology in British Columbia since 2022. Through her leadership, clinical expertise, and commitment to innovation, she advances patient care and empowers healthier Canadians.   

She joined the Hematology Department as a Hematopathologist Consultant in 2014 and has served as Lab Director of the Burnaby and Victoria Reference Laboratories. She is also the site director for UBC Hematopathology Residency Training where she leads the clinical education of medical residents at LifeLabs.  

Upon completing a BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Victoria, she obtained her medical degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC). Dr. Vawda’s residency training in Hematopathology was undertaken through UBC, where she was Chief Resident. She is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada with specialty certification in Hematological Pathology.  

An active contributor to the medical community, Dr. Vawda holds multiple positions. She holds an appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor with the Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine at UBC and is a member of the UBC Hematopathology Residency Program Committee (RPC), Provincial Hematopathology Advisory Committee (PHAC), and Diagnostic Accreditation Program (DAP) Committee. She is also a Consultant Hematopathologist for the Northern Health Authority. 

Her areas of interest include thalassemia, hemoglobinopathy, lymphoma, medical education, and laboratory quality. She enjoys teaching and has completed the UBC Teacher Certificate Program. Her research has involved the lymph node microenvironment in lymphoma pathogenesis and cytogenetics in myelodysplastic syndromes. She has received several academic and research awards and has been granted the Physician Leadership Institute certificate by the Canadian Medical Association.   

Combining expertise in complex hematological disorders with a focus on education and quality, Dr. Vawda helps ensure Canadians receive accurate, timely, and meaningful answers from their laboratory tests.