Dr. Khola Bilal MD
(She, Her, Hers)
Trainee
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Faculty of Medicine
Dr. Khola Bilal graduated from the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Medicine in 2026. Prior to medical school, she completed a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in 2022, graduating with distinction and first-class honours.
During her undergraduate studies, Dr. Bilal developed an early interest in basic science research while working under the supervision of Dr. Glen Tibbits at SFU. Her research investigated the effects of a novel pathogenic cardiac troponin C (TnC) variant associated with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Through this work, she gained experience in a range of molecular biology and biochemical techniques, including recombinant protein expression, protein purification, and chromatographic separation methods. She presented her findings in a ten-minute oral presentation entitled A Novel Cardiomyopathic Variant: Cardiac Troponin C (TNNC1) V44M at SFU’s 5th Annual Centre for Cell Biology, Development, and Disease (C2D2) Research Day, where she received the Best Long Talk Award.
Her interest in basic science research, combined with her previous experience working as an optical technician, inspired her to pursue ophthalmic research in medical school. Under the supervision of Dr. Joanne Matsubara in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at UBC, Dr. Bilal investigated the role of Granzyme B, a serine protease, in the progression of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Through this work, she also expanded her laboratory skill set by learning tissue culture techniques and co-authoring a publication in Frontiers in Immunology. Additionally, her research earned her the Best Medical Student Award at the UBC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences’ 40th Annual Research Day in 2024. She has successfully presented at several major ophthalmology conferences, including the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) 2026 and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) Annual Meeting 2026.
Dr. Bilal is currently pursuing a Master of Health Science to further develop her skills in clinical research as she prepares for residency training. She is working alongside clinical researchers in ophthalmology to gain a deeper understanding of study design, data collection, and clinical research methodology. Through this experience, she hopes to better understand how clinical research differs from basic science research and, importantly, how discoveries made through both approaches can be translated into new treatments and improvements in existing patient care.
Outside of research, Dr. Bilal is deeply passionate about medical education and mentorship. She serves as Co-President of the UBC Ophthalmology Student Interest Group, where she developed the Eye Love Clinical Skills initiative. Through these sessions, ophthalmology residents teach junior medical students practical ophthalmic examination techniques, helping students build confidence and clinical skills before beginning their senior clinical rotations. Dr. Bilal has also designed and led suturing workshops for high school students across Metro Vancouver, providing them with early exposure to clinical skills while offering mentorship and guidance to students interested in pursuing careers in medicine.
In her free time, Khola loves to travel and has visited 17 countries so far. Her most recent travels took her to Morocco, where a Barbary macaque stole her peanuts and left her with an unexpected monkey scratch and a memorable travel story! Her favorite destination is still Thailand because she could happily live on mango sticky rice and pad thai for the rest of her life—which, at this point, may very well be her retirement plan.
