OSEI LAB
Dr. Emmanuel T. Osei, PhD
Principal Investigator (PI) | Head
Lung Bioartificial Model Lab | Osei Lab
Biology Department | IKB Faculty of Science, UBCO
Dr. Osei obtained his BSc (Hons) in Medical Lab. Technology from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana with First-Class Honours after which he was awarded the prestigious international Commonwealth Shared Scholarship to undertake an MSc in Medical Diagnostics at Cranfield University, U.K. After a stint as an Assistant Lecturer in the Medical School at KNUST, he pursued a rare joint-PhD between the Groningen institute of Asthma and COPD (GRIAC) in the University of Groningen (the Netherlands) (& part of the departments of Pathology and Medical Biology) and in the centre for Heart Lung Innovation (HLI), University of British Columbia (Canada) (& part of the Anesthesiology Pharmacology & Therapeutics Department). This international joint PhD was conducted in the groups of Prof. Wim Timens, Prof. Irene Heijink & Prof Corry-Anke Brandsma in Groningen, and Prof. Tillie Hackett at UBC. After this, he continued a postdoctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Prof Hackett at the HLI until establishing his independent research group as an Assistant Professor at UBCO in 2021.
​As an early-career researcher at UBCO, Dr. Osei has secured funding from NSERC, CFI, BCKDF, MITACS, BC Lung Foundation, EMINENCE funds, among others, to establish the Lung Bioartificial Model Lab, also known as the OSEI Lab, alongside a vibrant group of trainees. He has served as the primary supervisor of one MD-PhD, four MSc, and ten BSc HQP, as well as one technician. Throughout his career, Dr. Osei has received numerous awards, including the American Thoracic Society (ATS) – Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR) Young Investigator Award, the ATS Stuart J. Hirst Award, and the James Hogg Outstanding Young Investigator Award, among others.
Below is a breakdown of the courses Dr. Osei has taught or is teaching at UBC.
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BIOL363 – This is a third-year Developmental Biology Class that is an elective in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Medical as well as Biology Majors, and is required for the Zoology Major. This course focuses on the principles of animal development. The embryonic development of key invertebrates is compared to vertebrates at the morphological, genetic, and epigenetic levels. Differential gene expression and cell signaling responsible for the specification of embryonic cell fates and pattern formation are compared in various animals. I also include research techniques and data analysis skill-building.
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BIOL300 – This is a third-year elective course for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Medical as well as Biology Majors. In this course, I treat the functional anatomy of structural cells and other specialized types, structures, and processes, including extracellular matrix, cell adhesion, cytoskeleton, apoptosis, and autophagy. There is a unique focus on experimental techniques for the analysis of subcellular components. ​
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BIOL552 – This graduate-level directed studies course was focused on original non-lab-based research in a written literature review on the specified topic.
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BIOL452 – directed studies for undergraduate students applying for a laboratory research project and writing a report/literature review on the research project.
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PATH521 - This 3-credit graduate course in the UBC Faculty of Medicine focuses on reviewing current areas of medical research with emphasis on cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and sepsis. It is co-taught by a team of instructors at the Center for Heart Lung Innovation.
Teaching
Before teaching at UBCO, Dr. Osei taught graduate students at the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation at UBC-Vancouver and served as an Assistant Lecturer of Anatomy and Cell Biology in the School of Medical Sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Dr. Osei’s teaching at UBCO includes 3rd-year undergraduate courses (Developmental Biology (BIOL363) and Advanced Cell Biology (BIOL300)). Of these courses, BIOL 363 was an already existing course that has been updated, while BIOL 300 was designed and developed by Dr. Osei. These courses are revised and developed using textbooks, scientific literature, and materials that emphasize the scientific methods, techniques, experiments, and published data that determine the current scientific knowledge in the field. He then creates an enabling and active learning environment that keeps every student attentive and involved in the learning process by designing various forms of pedagogical techniques centered on active learning, including Team-based learning activities, infused with lecture-based approaches that cater to different learning styles. As part of this process, he defines course-level and lesson-specific learning outcomes with clear, testable deliverables. This engages students and creates a conducive environment for critical thinking, creativity, collaborative learning, and scientific scrutiny. Examples of this pedagogical style include the use of micrographs, stained sections, and video clips to teach basic cell biology, the assignment of peer-reviewed published manuscripts on topics of interest for student assessment & presentations, as well as exercises involving class group question-and-answer periods. He assesses learning outcomes through multiple choice, short answer, and written essay questions in addition to more involved methods such as critical review of relevant literature and the production of publishable written work (as has been done by students in his Directed Studies courses). This creates a sense of educational fulfillment and purpose in students after they acquire in-depth scientific knowledge, which helps build successful careers in biology and biomedical fields. Therefore, Dr. Osei’s teaching philosophy in training researchers is to create a collegial atmosphere led by example and enable learning by being practical and active in class.