Dr. Stephen Vanner was appointed to three interim roles at Queen’s University on Dec. 1.
Following Dr. Jane Philpott’s exit from the University to lead Ontario’s new primary care action team, three-time Queen’s graduate Dr. Vanner is provisionally taking over her prior roles as the interim Dean of Health Sciences, Director of the School of Medicine and CEO of the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization (SEAMO).
READ MORE: Dr. Jane Philpott set to lead Ontario’s expansion of primary care providers
In an interview with The Journal, Dr. Vanner credited the Queen’s community for his return to campus throughout his career.
“It’s a wonderful place to work in of the colleagues you get to share your work with—you don’t get that in every place,” Dr. Vanner said.
He emphasized the importance of being challenged during one’s university journey, a belief he holds true both in the past and the present. Reflecting on his own time as a student, he recalled being told, “If you don’t find your time at Queen’s challenging, then you’ve missed its purpose.”
“We don’t want to do that in a punitive or negative way. But it’s good to be challenged, to grow, and fully realize the person that you can be,” he said.
After first arriving on campus in 1974, Dr. Vanner graduated from Queen’s with an undergraduate degree in life sciences, after which he returned to campus to receive a t MD and MSc in neurophysiology in 1980.
Later, Dr. Vanner completed a fellowship in internal medicine and gastroenterology at Queen’s. After a postdoctoral fellowship in Oregon at the Vollum Institute where he specialized in electrophysiological techniques to study the nervous system, Dr. Vanner returned as a member of the Queen’s faculty in the Department of Medicine.
Dr. Vanner currently specializes in pain signalling in the gastrointestinal tract in his positions as director of clinical research at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Director of Queen’s gastrointestinal diseases research unit while serving as a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
When asked how he has balanced responsibilities over the years, Dr. Vanner cited the importance of ion for one’s work, in tandem with efficiency and .
“I’ve been very fortunate to have a wonderful team of people around me who allow me to do all of this, and without them it certainly wouldn’t be possible,” Dr. Vanner explained.
During his time as interim Dean of Health Sciences, Dr. Vanner primarily aims to improve the faculty’s research opportunities.
“We want to look for opportunities to incentivize researchers and give them the tools to be as successful as they possibly can,” he elaborated, further noting the recent recruitment of researchers and clinician scientists to Queen’s.
He emphasized the importance of clinical impact in the University’s research.
“There’re different metrics you can use in of how many publications we have or the quality of the journals, but we also want to be translating those findings into improving healthcare,” Dr. Vanner said. “I’m optimistic for the future, and I see lots of opportunities for our students here and faculty. I’m just excited about trying to help people realize those.”
Dr. Vanner advises current and incoming Queen’s students to follow their ions and discover what excites them.
A permanent Dean of Health Sciences will be appointed on July 1.
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