Areas of interest

- Diagnostic Microbiology & Translational Diagnostics
- Syphilis, Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance & Research
- Public Health Laboratory Leadership & Outbreak Response
- Academic Leadership, Education, & Mentorship
- Implementation Science & Diagnostic Policy Translation

Biography

Dr. Muhammad G. Morshed is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a Clinical Microbiologist at the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). He is internationally recognized for his multidisciplinary expertise spanning diagnostic microbiology, infectious diseases, Vector-Borne disease epidemiology, and translational research. His primary research focused on public health communicable diseases. He made major contribution in the laboratory diagnosis of syphilis, Lyme disease, Helicobacter pylori, SARS CoV-2 and arboviruses.

Dr. Morshed earned his PhD in Medical Microbiology from Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Japan, where he conducted research on clinical immunology using mouse models against Borrelia duttonii. He completed his MSc in Microbiology at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, focusing on environmental microbiology. He subsequently received specialized training in the Molecular Biology of Tuberculosis at the Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan (1996), and in Tick Microbiology at the University of California, Berkeley (1997).

Currently, Dr. Morshed serves as Program Head for the BCCDC Public Health Laboratory’s Zoonotic Disease and Emerging Pathogens Program, overseeing diagnostic services for Vector-Borne and zoonotic infections, as well as syphilis and latent tuberculosis. Since joining the BCCDC in 1997 and the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in 1998, he has significantly advanced the province’s diagnostic and surveillance capacity through innovations in serology, molecular diagnostics, and outbreak response.

Dr. Morshed’s research has been supported by the BC Government and numerous competitive grants, including Genome BC, the Michael Smith Health Research Foundation, CIHR, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the UBC–BCCDC Foundation. His contributions have been recognized with numerous honours, including:

- Excellence in Clinical Service Award, UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (2016)
- RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award, Canadian Immigrant Magazine (2017)
- Distinguished Microbiologist Award, Canadian College of Microbiologists (2019)
- Expatriate Fellow, Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (2020)
- Excellence in Undergraduate and Graduate Education Award, UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (2023)
- Fellow, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) (2025)

He also established the BC Zoonoses Symposium in 2000, recognized by the BC Ministries of Health and Agriculture for his leadership in zoonotic disease research and collaboration.