Meet Dr. Lisa Tannock, the new dean of Queen’s Health Sciences

Feature Stories | 12 Sep 2025 | Read time: 5 min | Written by: Laura Dyer

Dr. Lisa Tannock doesn’t love talking about herself. Glancing at the phone on the table recording our conversation, she makes one thing clear.

“It's not about me,” she explains. “It's about Queen’s. It's about this faculty, our students, and our alumni.”

Her instinct, both in conversation and with her leadership style, is to shift the spotlight outward. Still, a new dean who spent the last two decades working and living in the United States naturally generates some curiosity in today’s political climate. While she values the experience and opportunities she gained south of the border, Dr. Tannock is open about the fact her move was never meant to be permanent.

“Canada is my home. My family is here, and I’d been keeping an eye out for an opportunity to come back for some time. So, when I saw this position at Queen’s, it felt like the right fit. And the fact that our faculty includes nursing and rehabilitation as well as medicine feels like icing on the cake. I love that this faculty reflects the realities of modern health care—collaborative and team-based. To me, it’s a real strength.”

Raised in Toronto, Dr. Tannock completed her medical degree and residency in internal medicine at the University of Toronto. After moving to Seattle to complete a subspecialty training in endocrinology, she joined the University of Kentucky in 2004. There she served in several leadership roles, most recently as associate provost for faculty advancement, but also as division chief of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and vice-dean of faculty affairs.

Inspired in part by her undergraduate research, Dr. Tannock first entered medicine with an eye toward hematology oncology before discovering a passion for endocrinology. As a physician-scientist, her research explores how diabetes and high cholesterol contribute to cardiovascular disease and how interventions could improve clinical outcomes. While her career began in labs and in clinics, she found herself drawn to administrative roles for a simple reason: impact.

“As a doctor, I could help the patient in front of me, which is of course vital and important,” she says. “With administration, I realized I could help hundreds of people do their best work. By focusing on leadership, I could lift others up and have a broader impact. That ripple effect really matters to me.”

The shift wasn’t without sacrifice. Dr. Tannock admits closing her research lab to focus on administration as one of the hardest decisions she’s ever made.

“It felt very bittersweet to step away from research. But one of my philosophies is very few people can ‘do it all’ really well. I think we often have more impact if we excel in one or two areas rather than spreading ourselves too thin.”

Strategic by nature, Dr. Tannock is candid about the challenges ahead: budget pressures, the need for open dialogue around changes, and resisting, where possible, the temptation of quick fix solutions.

“It’s easy to get caught up in short-term fixes, but I want us to think long-term. To be transparent, and to make sure decisions are grounded in fairness,” she says. “If you just react to everything, then you aren’t being strategic, and you can't be equitable.”

Looking forward, she sees big opportunities to strengthen Queen’s Health Sciences through supporting students and academic programs, initiatives like the research excellence clusters, and existing training partnerships like the Weeneebayko Health Education Campus and the Queen’s-Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine program. She’s also eager to listen to and learn from the QHS community. To that end, her office has launched ‘Coffee with the Dean’, a new initiative designed to bring students, faculty and staff together in conversation. Organized on a rolling basis, those interested in attending can sign-up using their Queen’s email.

“No agenda, no assignments,” Dr. Tannock confirms. “Just colleagues connecting and sharing over coffee.”

And what excites her most about her new role so far? Definitely the people.

“The energy here is incredible. There is so much talent and dedication at QHS. I’m looking forward to listening, learning, and figuring out what’s next together.”

Read time

5 min

Written by

Laura Dyer

Meet Dr. Lisa Tannock, the new dean of Queen’s Health Sciences

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