McMaster U announces new dean of health sciences

HAMILTON, Ont. – McMaster University has announced the appointment of Dr. Nancy Baxter (pictured) to vice-president and dean, Faculty of Health Sciences beginning August 31, 2026.

An internationally respected academic leader, clinician, and researcher, Dr. Baxter – who was born in Canada and studied at McMaster as an undergraduate before her medical training at the University of Toronto – brings a remarkable record of achievement across academic medicine, health system leadership, and research excellence.

Currently serving as deputy dean of Research Centres in the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health in Australia, she provides strategic oversight to seven flagship centres that collectively account for more than 40 percent of the Faculty’s research income and nearly one-quarter of the University’s total research revenue.

Also, at University of Sydney, Dr. Baxter served as Interim Executive Dean, leading Australia’s largest health faculty through a period of complexity and change – overseeing seven schools, guiding a $700 million budget, and advancing excellence across education, research, and clinical service.

Dr. Baxter’s professional recognitions and awards include receiving the Mentor Award from the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Research Foundation, delivering the I. S. Ravdin Lecture in the Basic and Surgical Sciences at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress, earning the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute Legacy Award from St. Michael’s Hospital and the Bryce Taylor Mentorship Award from the University of Toronto, being named a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and earning the Eugenie Stuart Best Instructor Award (based on student evaluations) from the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.

Her accomplishments reflect a leadership style grounded in vision, collaboration, and a deep commitment to empowering high-performing interdisciplinary teams.

She moved to Australia to become the Head of the School of Population and Global Health at University of Melbourne, a globally leading School of Population and Global Health.

During her time at Melbourne, she helped create a new Centre for Indigenous Public Health (Onemda) and launched the Climate Catch Lab with a mandate to perform policy-relevant research addressing the public-health impacts of the climate crisis. During her time at University of Melbourne, Dr. Baxter pursued her MBA to increase her leadership and financial management skills.

Prior to moving to Australia, Dr. Baxter’s career in Canada uniquely bridged clinical practice, research, academic leadership and health system transformation. A colorectal surgeon and Clinical Professor at the University of Toronto, she was Head of General Surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital, a fully affiliated teaching hospital with the University of Toronto, where she combined clinical excellence with mentorship and influential health services research.

She was also Associate Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, the senior administrator responsible for academic programming for almost 1,000 graduate students and 92 core faculty.

In Ontario, Dr. Baxter served as Provincial Endoscopy Lead for Cancer Care Ontario, where she managed the provincial hospital budget for endoscopy and led the implementation of quality-based funding and system-wide quality assurance initiatives across more than 100 hospitals – work that has had a lasting impact on cancer screening and patient care.

An accomplished health-services scientist, she is recognized internationally for leadership in surgery, cancer screening, and health system improvement, with more than 500 peer-reviewed publications, more than $60 million in research funding, and a sustained commitment to mentoring graduate and post-graduate trainees.

Equally notable is Dr. Baxter’s deep dedication to equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigeneity. Across multiple leadership roles, she has championed initiatives supporting Indigenous health research, climate and health, and equitable access to training and professional development – values closely aligned with McMaster’s mission.

“On behalf of McMaster University, I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Nancy Baxter to our community,” says McMaster president and vice chancellor Susan Tighe. “Her qualifications, broad experience and approach to her work are deeply impressive and particularly well-suited to McMaster. We all look forward to the leadership, collaboration, and transformative impact she will bring as we continue to advance research, education, and health for the communities we serve.”

Dr. Baxter says she is excited to lead the Faculty of Health Sciences.

“McMaster is recognized around the world as a leading university, and its Faculty of Health Sciences is well-known as innovative, progressive and highly integrated,” she says. “To have the chance to serve as Vice-President and Dean is an honour, particularly given the sterling legacy of my predecessors in this role.”

Dr. Baxter’s appointment follows an extensive nine-month international search process led by a 20-member selection committee chaired by Tighe, which unanimously recommended Baxter for the position. The recommendation has been approved by McMaster’s senate and board of governors.

Dr. Paul O’Byrne will continue to serve as vice-president and dean, Faculty of Health Sciences until June 30, 2026.

“We have been fortunate to have Dr. O’Byrne serve as the vice-president and dean for the Faculty of Health Sciences for the past decade,” says Tighe. “He has been a valued and well-respected leader, advancing key priorities in health education and research.

“On behalf of the McMaster community, I would like to sincerely thank Dr. O’Byrne for his thoughtful leadership of Health Sciences throughout his time in this role.”

Dr. Mohit Bhandari, chair of the Department of Surgery in the Faculty of Health Sciences, will serve as interim vice-president and dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, from July 1 to Aug. 30, 2026.