Stephen M. Drance

Stephen Michael Drance (22 May 1925 – 2 September 2020) was emeritus professor of ophthalmology at the University of British Columbia. He was the head of glaucoma service at the Eye Care centre of Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Early life and education Drance was born in Bielsko, Poland. In about 1937, his family send him to a boarding school in London, England. at the University of Edinburgh to study medicine. At Oxford, he started doing research in ophthalmology. For 18 years, he served as Chairman of the University of British Columbia's Department of Ophthalmology, and merged clinical care seamlessly into an environment of teaching and research.

Drance trained 35 fellows, whose contributions continue to move glaucoma care forward.

Drance's accomplishments have been widely recognized, through numerous honorary fellowships, honorary degrees, and awards. His expertise took him around the world. He was a visiting professor or guest lecturer across Canada and the United States as well as in Australia, New Zealand, France, Mexico, England, Panama, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Poland, Italy, Greece, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Recognition In 1987, Drance was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada, one of the highest honors his country bestows.

His passion for music and the visual arts led him to found the Vancouver Summer Festival, and in 2005 he received the Vancouver Arts Award in recognition of his philanthropy in the arts. In 2012, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.