Biomedical Visualization and Communication

The program provides you a skill set that combines scientific knowledge and critical thinking, creative approaches to design, and teamwork and communication. You’ll complete the program ready to contribute confidently and creatively to biomedical communications projects for healthcare clients, in a variety of roles and capacities depending on your experience and education.

The program’s vision is founded on the idea that creative teams can yield effective biomedical communications if they speak the same medical language, and have the listening, visualization and science literacy skills to engage with one another. These skills include:

Scientific knowledge and critical thinking

• Understand the basic structures and functions of the human body
• Gain foundational skills to research, source materials and disseminate medical information
• Use medical language comfortably and confidently, and increase your science literacy
• Recognize and apply the values of diversity and inclusion to biomedical communications

Teamwork and communication

• Practise communication techniques that build trust and understanding on teams, with clients and with audiences
• Advocate for diversity and inclusion to create anti-racist, anti-oppressive, accessible and human-centered communications
• Hone your skills in empathetic listening and responding
• Discover how to frame problems and gather different perspectives
• Form collaborative habits to improve communication, listening and adaptability
• Communicate rationale for solutions
• Learn how to pitch and secure a successful project
• Understand collaborative processes teams use such as Agile sprints and scrums

Creative approaches to design

• Understand the essential tools needed to communicate with diverse audiences
• Practise the visual modalities used for problem solving in biomedical communications
• Develop strategies to make information relevant and memorable
• Develop a personal and effective communication style
• Practise improvisation skills to spark creativity
• Explain human-centered design methodology
• Use prototyping, visual maps and user testing to guide a project
• Understand and apply user experience principles to design products and services

A unique aspect of the curriculum is a focus on diversity and inclusivity in biomedical communications. Throughout the program, you learn how to recognize and address the needs of diverse communities, including Indigenous, racialized and other groups that face barriers to healthcare information.

While our students come from a variety of backgrounds, what we are looking for is a passion for clear communication, an appreciation for creativity and design, and a desire to help people learn and understand.

Our students include:

• graphic designers and illustratorsmedical writers and communicators
• health educators
• researchers and research assistants
• healthcare professionals, e.g. nurse, physiotherapist, pharmacist

Some of the companies and industries that hire biomedical visualization professionals include:

• advertising and digital agencies specializing in medical and pharmaceutical clients
• animation studios
• health gaming
• mobile applications development
• patient education
• publishing (e.g., textbooks, journals, ebooks)
• biomedical technology start-ups

Are you interested in becoming a certified medical illustrator?

The UBC Certificate in Biomedical Visualization is not an accredited medical illustrator graduate program. These types of accredited programs are full-time and take two years to complete, and typically require an undergraduate degree, a portfolio, a letter of intent, references and your transcript(s).

The standard program cost is $12,250, not including the application fee. If you apply by the early bird deadline, July 31, 2024, the program cost is $11,950, not including application fee. There is a non-refundable application fee of $175. The early bird savings will be applied to the deposit.

Once you are accepted into the program, a non-refundable deposit is required to hold your place. The deposit is $1000 for standard applications and $700 for early bird applications. The deposit will be applied to the total program fee.

Fees can be paid in full or in two instalments.

Please note that fees include all courses, Adobe® software, professional art supplies, and access to eResources @ UBC Library.

All fees are in Canadian dollars and are subject to change. Fees are subject to GST where applicable. Fees can be paid by Visa®, Mastercard®, cash, money order or certified cheque.

For details on UBC’s payment policies, please see Refunds, Cancellations and Transfers.

The program is 11 months part-time, starting in January each year, offered over three terms of approximately 13 weeks each, including breaks. You take two courses in term 1 and one course in term 2. The capstone project course is offered in term 3. 

The 2025 UBC Certificate in Biomedical Visualization and Communication will take place from Monday, January 6th to Friday, December 5th, 2025. There will be no live online sessions during the weeks of February 17–21, June 23–27, and November 10–14, 2025.

A live Orientation session will be held in mid-December 2024.  Orientation is required and will cover program expectations, assessments methods, and recommendations for how to be successful in the program.

You need to be accepted to this program before you can register to any of these courses. Learn more about each of the courses below.

Required Courses

The UBC Certificate in Biomedical Visualization and Communication is an 11-month, part-time, 100% online instructor supported program with real-time classes, virtual labs, workshops and project team working sessions.

You progress through all courses with a single group of peers (a cohort). Cohort numbers can vary but will be no more than 40 students. The program is designed to promote peer learning and collaboration, and offers you an opportunity to grow, learn and build relationships with a consistent group of people throughout the program.

Modular online learning

Courses are made up of online learning modules released weekly that combine recorded lectures, readings, videos, multimedia materials, exercises, assignments and quizzes. Foundations of Human Structure and Function includes 3D and virtual labs. Each week, you complete a new module before progressing to the next.

For the final project in term 3, you will also need to log on at various times to collaborate with your classmates and check in with your instructor and client partner.

During the week, you keep a visual and written journal about your learning and participate in online group discussions.

Throughout the year, there will also be optional real-time and virtual peer critiques, tutorials, and professional and technical workshops. 

Final capstone project

For the final capstone project in term 3, students work on a multidisciplinary team with their classmates and a client partner to create a design proposal and prototype for a biomedical communication need.

This capstone course offers you an opportunity to apply all of your learning from the previous courses, and bring your unique talents, experience and perspective to the team. You not only come away with a portfolio-worthy example of your work, but you also gain hands-on industry experience in a realistic client scenario.

Portfolio mentorship opportunities

For students who want to create a portfolio for future job or freelance opportunities, or to prepare to enter a master’s program, we offer mentorship and guidance. You’re encouraged to communicate with your instructional team about this opportunity.

Expected effort

In terms 1 and 2, you should set aside a minimum of 15 hours per week to participate in online classes and to complete online learning requirements, exercises, quizzes and assignments.

For the capstone project in term 3, you can expect to participate in daily online working group sessions and scrums, and a weekly video check-in with your instructor and client partner. Projects are presented at the end of the term.

Technology requirements

To take this program, you need access to:

• an email account
• a computer, laptop or tablet, using Windows or macOS the latest version of a web browser (or previous major version release)
• a reliable internet connection
• a video camera and microphone

You will be provided with a version of Adobe® Creative Suite if you do not own an edition. Please visit Adobe Creative Cloud for system requirements to run Adobe applications.

Art materials

Your program fees include professional art supplies, including notebooks, pigments, watercolour paints and pencils.

Assessment

Courses are graded as pass/fail. The work you hand in is assessed using rubrics, and some work might be evaluated by your peers. You’re also assessed on participation. Deliverables might include:

• lab assignments (individual and group work)
• sketchbook and discussion board reflections (individual)
• biomedical visualizations (individual and group work)

Our instructors include specialists, educators and innovators in biomedical visualization and communication, interactive and human-centered design, journalism, and graphic and visual arts. All hold master’s degrees or higher and are experienced in adult education.  Please review our handbook for detailed biographies.

Paige Blumer, MS

Kathryn Gretsinger, MJ

Dr. Claudia Krebs, MD, PhD

Sarah Leavitt, MFA

Bailey Lo, BSc

Dr. Olusegun (Segun) Oyedele, MD, PhD

Dr. Patrick Pennefather, PhD

Anthony Saraco, BEng, MSc

The admissions process helps to ensure that your needs, intentions and expectations are adequately matched to the program’s objectives and capabilities.

Admission requirements

The program is open to applicants of all nationalities, regardless of residency or citizenship status in Canada. We recommend applicants who live outside of Canada live in a time zone in which they can ensure they can join live online discussions and video chats to facilitate group work.

To accommodate learners from a variety of backgrounds, admission requirements for the UBC Certificate in Biomedical Visualization and Communication are broad. You must:

• have a minimum of two years of post-secondary education
• be motivated to enrol in this program by relevant professional or personal experience or interest

Before you apply

Please read and understand the program handbook. The handbook contains detailed information about the program curriculum as well as important policies, terms and conditions that you should understand.

To ensure you can participate fully in the program, you need to be able to read, write and speak comfortably in English. While you don’t need to prove English language proficiency, we recommend a minimum International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.0, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet-based score of 80, or equivalent.

We would be happy to discuss your eligibility, prior experience and the relevance of the program to your goals and encourage you to contact us.

Application steps

1. Write a letter of intent (maximum 500 words) that outlines your motivation and interests for pursuing the program, your current experience, what you feel you will gain from the program, what strengths you bring and how the program contributes to your future personal and/or professional goals.
2. Complete the online application form, which includes paying the $175 non-refundable application fee. You will need to include your letter of intent, along with a copy (official or unofficial) of your diploma, degree or certificate, with this form.

After you apply

When you submit your application and pay the non-refundable application fee, you’ll receive an email confirming these have been received. All applicants will be notified whether they’ve been accepted into the program within 10 business days after the application deadline (January 2025 applications are now closed).

If you're accepted into the program, you’re required to pay the non-refundable deposit within 10 business days to secure a place in the program.