Family Medicine faculty member receives award for excellence in graduate supervision

Meredith Vanstone is recognized for her excellence in graduate supervision with a President’s Award from McMaster University. The President’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision is awarded annually by McMaster’s Office of the President to graduate supervisors and educators who have demonstrated excellent supervisory and mentoring skills for graduate students. 

Vanstone holds supervisory roles at McMaster University in the Health Policy PhD, Master of Health Science Education, and Health Research Methodology programs in conjunction with her faculty appointment in the Department of Family Medicine and membership in the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA).  

“Meredith has the distinct and rare skill of being able to identify students with backgrounds from different disciplines and methodological skill sets who are united by their interest in Meredith’s research program,” said Manisha Pahwa, a PhD candidate in the Health Policy program. 

Her background in ethics and qualitative research methods provides a strong foundation for her supervisory activities, as many of her students tackle research questions aimed at addressing socially and ethically pressing health care issues in medical education and health policy.  

Her students have seen success in prestigious tri-council scholarship competitions for research funding including multiple CIHR doctoral and master’s scholarships, a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship and a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship.   

The rigorous nomination process includes letters of support from graduate students in masters and PhD programs. Her six nomination letters stand as testament to her exemplary impact on students at McMaster. 

“Dr. Vanstone takes a dedicated approach to role-modeling high-quality scholarship for her students, which includes commitments to being very available, providing timely feedback in accordance with best practices in education science, and offering a supportive and encouraging learning environment through regular monthly lab meetings, accessible office hours, and a deep consideration for the unique needs of each learner,” reads a nomination letter by two of Vanstone’s colleagues, Julia Abelson, professor in the department of health research methods, evidence, and impact and director of the Health Policy PhD program and Lawrence Grierson, associate professor in the department of family medicine and assistant dean of the health science education MSc program. 

“Her tireless advocacy, generosity of knowledge and patience in mentorship foster the growth of the research agenda and the pool of enthusiastic researchers in the Faculty of Health Sciences,” said Amanda Bell, regional assistant dean of the undergraduate MD program and associate clinical professor of family medicine who was supervised by Vanstone for her thesis work in the Master of Health Science Education program. “Dr. Vanstone is the epitome of President’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision, and I am fortunate to have been one of her students.”  

Congratulations Dr. Vanstone!