An alumnus of Dalhousie Medical School (MD’83), Dr. Anderson trained in internal medicine as well as hematology at Dalhousie. He continued his residency in hematology at McMaster University, where he completed a research and clinical fellowship in thromboembolic disorders.
Returning to Dalhousie Medical School as a faculty member in 1992, Dr. Anderson became an award-winning teacher who has been active in the classroom at the undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education levels throughout his career. Dr. Anderson was previously the head of the Division of Hematology (2002-2011), and head of Dalhousie’s Department of Medicine (2011-2015). Prior to his appointment as Dean, he was Professor of Medicine, with cross-appointments in the Department of Pathology and the Department of Community Health & Epidemiology. He was initially appointed as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in July 2015 and was reappointed for a second five-year term in February 2021.
Dr. Anderson is an internationally recognized researcher. He has published over 190 peer-reviewed publications and is a co-founder of the VECTOR Research Group, a multi-centre Canadian collaborative team focused on thromboembolic research that has received more than $50 million in research funding. He has been consistently supported by peer-review granting councils throughout his career and is currently the nominated principal investigator for the Maritime SPOR Support Unit funded by CIHR. He chaired the Department of Medicine’s research committee for nearly 10 years. Dr. Anderson also served as the Assistant Dean, Clinical Research, in the Faculty of Medicine in 2010-2011.
As Department Head and District Chief, Dr. Anderson worked to improve collaboration and collegiality with the Department of Medicine’s key partners, including Capital Health and Doctors Nova Scotia, and helped increase faculty engagement and leadership across the Maritimes. He fostered an environment, which supported research and teaching within the Department of Medicine and was instrumental in engaging faculty in both Halifax and Saint John.
As Dean, Dr. Anderson has lead implementation of a strategic plan #DalMedForward (2016-21) which has fostered increased engagement, focus and activity across three major pillars of activity: Research, Education and Serving and Engaging Society. Dr. Anderson led a successful strategic plan renewal with Realizing our Ambition being launched by Faculty in 2023 (See LINKS). The renewed plan added a fourth stream of priority activity in the faculty termed Valuing People.
Successful accreditations for undergraduate, post-graduate and CPD have been achieved under his leadership. Specific other achievements under his leadership have included increased research funding for faculty scientists, expansion of undergraduate and postgraduate training positions, and increased attention to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility matters including the appointment of an Associate Dean for Serving and Engaging Society and the recruitment of the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Studies to the Faculty of Medicine.
Dr. Anderson is overseeing the implementation of a third medical campus for Dalhousie Medical School in Sydney, Nova Scotia which will begin accepting students to start their medical education in August 2025.
