Ben Chew

Dr. Ben Chew is a scientist at the Stone Centre at Vancouver General Hospital and associate professor in the  Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He has been on active staff at Vancouver General Hospital since July 2006. Originally from Duncan, BC, he graduated from UBC medicine in 1998 and completed his urology residency at the University of Toronto in 2003. His fellowship focused on kidney stones and minimally invasive surgery at the University of Western Ontario. 
 
Dr. Chew’s research focuses on how kidney stones form and intestinal absorption of minerals that can form kidney stones (calcium and oxalate). He is also interested in biomaterials as they pertain to urinary devices. He is investigating new coatings and special drug-eluting materials for urinary catheters and stents in an attempt to make them more biocompatible and reduce device-related infection, encrustation, and patient discomfort.
 
Dr. Chew has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles and received several awards including the Best Endourology Paper Award at the World Congress of Endourology in 2009, the Best Scientific Paper at the World Congress of Endourology in 2005, the Best Abstract Prize for Stone Disease at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting in 2005 and 2008, and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholarship and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Surgeon Scientist scholarship. He has both peer-reviewed funding and funding from industry to continue his research in stone disease and biomaterials.