Dr. Connie Eaves was a distinguished scientist at BC Cancer’s Terry Fox Laboratory and professor in the Department of Medical Genetics and the School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC.

Connie leaves a lasting legacy as a trailblazer in the field of stem cell research and an advocate for more women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She moved to Vancouver in 1973 as the second research scientist to be hired to the staff of the BC Cancer Institute. She later co-founded the Terry Fox Laboratory in 1981 with her husband Allen Eaves. With over 50 years of service, she was the longest-serving BC Cancer Research employee.

Over that time, Connie became a world authority on stem cells with translational impact on bone marrow transplantation and treatments for leukemia and breast cancer. Her discoveries have advanced knowledge on the origin of these cancers and her pioneering research methodologies, including developing a technique to separate cancerous from normal stem cells, have become gold standard approaches used by laboratories around the world.

Connie’s work has been celebrated both nationally and internationally.

Her passion extended beyond the laboratory. In her first year of medical school, Connie was one of just 10 women in a class of 70. Since then, she continued to advocate for more women in STEM as they remain underrepresented in those areas. Connie also played a major role in the recruitment and training of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows at the Terry Fox Laboratory.

Connie was a mother of four, grandmother of 11, mentor, close advisor, friend, and inspiration to many. She will be dearly missed.

All contributions will support research at BC Cancer’s Terry Fox Laboratory.