The Club

We are the Liver Lovers at UBC!

Students passionate about raising awareness for liver disease and discovering new treatments.

Founded in 2008 by UBC students concerned about the increasing incidence of liver disease, the Canadian Liver Foundation (CLF) was the first organization in the world devoted to providing support for research and education into the causes, diagnoses, prevention and treatment of all liver disease. Throughout the Foundation’s 40+ years, we have served as a model for similar organizations around the world.

Today, our focus remains virtually unchanged from those early days. Our mandate is to promote liver health and to reduce the incidence and impact of all liver disease. To achieve this goal, we work to improve public awareness and understanding of liver health and liver disease, raise funds for research and reach out to liver disease patients and their families.

Our Mission

Our mission is:

To promote awareness and educate the public about liver disease
To fundraise for research
To volunteer in patient support programs
To offer leadership and volunteering opportunities to our members

Ultimately, we aim to reduce the impact and eliminate the stigma associated with liver disease.

Membership Benefits

By joining the UBC Canadian Liver Foundation, you will get:

Discounts on our events
A chance to work closely with us in our goals to fundraise & raise awareness
A chance on becoming an executive member in the following term or year
Networking opportunities with professionals doing liver research
To become an active student leader!

The membership fee is only $5.00 for the entire school year. Even if you are too busy to come out to club events or meetings, you can sign up to simply donate towards a good cause. Sign up for our mailing list and we’ll keep you posted on our next meeting time!

FAQs

Who are we?

What do we do?

Why should I care?

Why should I join?

UBC students in diverse programs that want to do something proactive and worthwhile in the community!

Our mission is ultimately to reduce the impact of liver disease. We do this through promoting awareness and educating the public, fundraising for research, and volunteering for patient support programs.

There are a lot of misconceptions and stigma associated with liver disease. The cause is often perceived to be alcohol (which is only one cause of many); thus, those affected are often blamed or misunderstood by the public.

There are actually over 100 types of liver disease that affect all age groups. One of the most important is hepatitis, which is the inflammation of the liver. Chronic hepatitis affects 10 times more people than AIDS or any cancer! Yet, there is a disproportionate amount of awareness compared to other health issues. Most people don’t know they have hepatitis until it is too late. This has led to a silent epidemic that is becoming a critical healthcare issue.

Regardless of what year you are in now, wouldn’t it be satisfying to look back when you graduate and say that you really have made a difference in the community? Because there is such a lack of public awareness about liver diseases, every single member can have a significant contribution to this campaign. If you are interested in pursuing a future in healthcare, then this is a perfect opportunity to learn more about a very current and relevant issue. There will be workshops for our members to learn and hear talks from renowned doctors about liver disease. The opportunities for leadership and volunteering are endless as well, as we are very open to different ways of getting the word out about liver disease. And of course, you will form close connections with others in the club who share a passion in being at the forefront of change.