Santa J. Ono

President & Vice-Chancellor, University of British Columbia

Santa J. Ono was installed as the 15th president and vice-chancellor of the University of British Columbia on November 22, 2016.

As a professor of medicine and biology, Ono has worked at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, University College London, and Emory universities. He was also inducted by Johns Hopkins into its Society of Scholars, which honours former faculty who have gained distinction in their fields. He has been inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Inventors, USA.

Ono’s research encompasses the immune system, eye inflammation and age-related macular degeneration – a leading cause of blindness.

As a university administrator, Ono is also known for his vision beyond the laboratory. He was the first Asian-American president of the University of Cincinnati when he was appointed in 2012. Previously, he served as the University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. Prior to his recruitment to the University of Cincinnati, Ono was Senior Vice Provost and Deputy to the Provost at Emory University.

Ono is deeply committed to diversity, and his achievements have been recognized by the American Council on Education with an award that honours individuals who have demonstrated leadership and commitment on a national level to the advancement of racial and ethnic minorities in higher education. He also received a Professional Achievement Award from the University of Chicago Alumni Association in 2017, an honour he shares with such luminaries as Carl Sagan, Ed Asner and Kurt Vonnegut.

In addition, Inside Higher Education named him America’s most notable university president in 2015. He’s adept at using social media to respond quickly and directly to people’s concerns and to make personal, authentic connections – in particular, with students.

Dr. Ono serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Universities Canada (effective October 2018), a member of the Executive Committee of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities and Chairman of the Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia (RUCBC).

An avid music lover, whose tastes range from Rihanna to Rachmaninoff, Ono studied at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore and remarkably still finds time to sing and play his cello – even taking to the concert stage to perform on occasion. His family also helps him stay grounded.