Biography of Dr. Karim Khan

Dr. Karim Khan will take up his post as Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis on October 1, 2017.

He is a professor and clinician-scientist in the Department of Family Practice and School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he has taught since 2000. He is currently co-director of UBC’s Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, a $40-million centre funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

On the international stage, Dr. Khan took a two-year leave in 2014 to serve as the Director of Research and Education at Qatar’s Aspetar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital – the first of its kind in the Gulf Region. He has also taught at universities in Australia and Norway.

Dr. Khan has achieved international recognition for studies promoting greater mobility among vulnerable seniors, and is a respected leader in the field of tendon injuries, osteoporosis, fall prevention and exercise promotion for health. 

He has a track record of over 300 highly cited peer-reviewed publications, and has, since 2008, been the editor-in-chief of the high-impact British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), a leading international journal that focuses on the role of physical activity for health. He is also the co-author of the best-selling textbook Brukner & Khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine.

Dr. Khan is passionate about knowledge translation and patient engagement, and was responsible for establishing the BJSM’s social media accounts, podcast and blog that have reached millions of viewers and listeners.

His association with CIHR began 16 years ago, when he received funding as a CIHR New Investigator from 2001 to 2007.

Dr. Khan earned his medical degree and PhD at the University of Melbourne, and his MBA at the University of British Columbia.