Born, bred and educated in Halifax, David Anderson has enjoyed a decades-long relationship with his hometown medical school. As dean of Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Anderson is now looking forward to set that school up for more success in the decades to come.
A faculty member for more than 20 years, Dr. Anderson has conducted important and influential research in blood clotting disorders and won awards for his outstanding teaching. He’s also excelled in administrative roles, serving as head of the Division of Hematology and, more recently, head of the Department of Medicine.
But his commitment to Dalhousie stretches back to his own experience in the university’s medical school.
“I had a truly fantastic experience going through medical school here,” says Dr. Anderson. “I got a world-class education and was exposed to a lot of different aspects of medicine.
“That was something I wanted to continue to be a part of.”
From his student days to his time as a faculty member and administrator, Dr. Anderson has admired the dedication the Faculty of Medicine has to serving the Maritime region and considers that continued service to be one of his highest priorities.
As the medical school for Maritime Canada, he says, Dalhousie has a responsibility to making sure its medical research and training benefit local communities.
“We have very high-quality, highly motivated people who have a commitment to improving the health of people in the Maritime provinces,” says Dr. Anderson. “We do have a mission to make sure there’s a good fit between our physicians and their areas of expertise and the needs of the Maritime provinces.”
In a leadership position he describes as one of the most important in the Atlantic Canadian health care sector, Dr. Anderson plans to achieve this mission by building on the quality and quantity of the Faculty of Medicine’s research output, attracting top students to its undergraduate and graduate programs and increasing the diversity of physicians Dalhousie sends into the medical profession.
Dr. Anderson has also prioritized career development and preparation for students in the faculty.
“We are particularly interested in ensuring that our physicians have all the tools to have successful careers, so we will be paying attention to the health and wellness of physicians as well as them providing health and wellness to their patients.”
Dr. Anderson’s experience and vision support the Faculty of Medicine’s standing as a leader in regional health care, a faculty that includes a campus in Saint John, New Brunswick and that sends student-physicians out to communities all across the Maritimes to train.
“There is an opportunity to make a big difference by facilitating the training of physicians the high-quality research that is going to help improve the lives of people in this part of the country.”
