Dr. Preston Smith, Saskatoon
Dr. Preston Smith is dean of the College of Medicine and vice-provost health at the University of Saskatchewan. Over three years, he has led the college's extensive restructuring to improve all facets of medical education and research, and leads collaboration and innovation across the university's health sciences. In both capacities, he has built effective relationships and partnerships across Saskatchewan's health-care system.
Before coming to Saskatchewan he was the senior associate dean of education at Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine. He played a key leadership role in developing the new Dalhousie medical education program in New Brunswick, which required critical relationship-building with health system partners. As part of his commitment to rural health care, he was instrumental in starting four new family medicine residency programs in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
He served Moncton for 25 years as a family physician with a large community practice, where he also had extensive involvement in hospital administration. He has extensive experience in health system reform and administration, having served as vice-president of medicine in southeast New Brunswick when that province moved to eight regions.
Later from Halifax, he ensured the seamless integration of Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick when New Brunswick moved to two regional health authorities. While serving for four years on the board of the Maritime provinces' children's hospital, he developed an in-depth understanding of children's hospitals and the complexities involved in transitioning Nova Scotia at that time to an amalgamated provincial health region.
A highly regarded medical educator and administrator, he completed his medical education at Dalhousie University, and is a Certificant and Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. In 2010, he completed a Master of Education focused on medical education from Mount Saint Vincent University.