Lester, Dr. Richard
Research Director
Dr. Lester is an infectious disease physician, clinician-scientist, and global health researcher based at Vancouver General Hospital and UBC. His clinical and research interests span general infectious diseases, sexually transmitted infections (STI), HIV, tropical medicine, and global health, with a particular focus on the use of mobile and digital technology (mHealth) to improve patient care.
He completed his MD at the University of Alberta (1999), Internal Medicine residency at the University of Toronto, and Infectious Diseases fellowship training through UBC and the University of Manitoba/University of Nairobi, including a post-doctoral research fellowship in Kenya under Dr. Frank Plummer studying innate immunity and HIV resistance.
Dr. Lester is best known for pioneering the field of mobile health (mHealth). While conducting research in Kenya, he led a randomized clinical trial testing mobile phone text messaging to support HIV treatment adherence. The resulting publication was named Editor’s Choice in The Lancet (2010), influenced global media and policy, and was incorporated into WHO treatment guidelines. This work led him to co-found WelTel International mHealth Society (a non-profit) and WelTel Inc. (a digital health company), which now support patient care programs across Canada, Kenya, Rwanda, and other countries, including applications in HIV care, tuberculosis adherence, COVID-19 response, hospital discharge follow-up, and community safety reporting.
He previously served as Medical Head of STI/HIV Services at the BC Centre for Disease Control (2012–2014), where he led provincial efforts on syphilis control, response to drug-resistant gonorrhea, and HIV testing and linkage to care. He continues to practice as an Infectious Diseases Consultant at Vancouver General Hospital and serves as Co-Director of the UBC Neglected Global Diseases Initiative.
He also hosts the UBC AI for Infectious Diseases Seminar Series through the Lester Lab (Digital Health & AI), a weekly series engaging the ID and Medical Microbiology community in evidence-based discussion of AI’s role in clinical practice, research, and education.
Over his career, Dr. Lester has supervised nearly 300 students and trainees across medicine, public health, computer science, and engineering, delivered over 60 invited presentations internationally, and authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, including papers in The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, and Lancet HIV. His awards include the Digital Health Canada Clinical Innovator Award (2020), a CIHR Foundation Scheme New Investigator award, and a Grand Challenges Canada Rising Star in Global Health award.