Imran Howell is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Respiratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia and a respirologist with Vancouver Coastal Health. He completed specialist training in respiratory and general internal medicine in the United Kingdom. He obtained a PhD in Clinical Medicine at the University of Oxford, where he investigated the biological mechanisms underlying asthma attacks and treatment response.
Imran’s research sits at the interface of clinical trials, translational science, and precision medicine. His work integrates clinical phenotyping with molecular approaches – including proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and microbiome analysis – to better understand the mechanisms that drive asthma attacks and to identify biomarkers that can guide individualised treatment. His research has been published in leading respiratory and immunology journals and has been recognized with several national awards, including the British Thoracic Society Early Career Investigator Award.
At UBC, Imran is establishing a research programme focused on precision medicine for asthma attacks. His goal is to transform the management of asthma by identifying biological mechanisms and using these insights to deliver more personalised treatment. He is particularly interested in reframing the asthma attack as a chance for secondary prevention – every asthma attack is an opportunity to prevent the next one. His research spans clinical trials, mechanistic studies, biomarker discovery, and real-world epidemiology, with a strong emphasis on translating scientific discoveries into improved patient care.