The elder of 2 brothers, Hance Clarke is a child of the gold, black and white sand beaches of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. His parents, like many West Indians, immigrated to Canada after the multiculturalism policy was initiated in 1971 by then Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Arriving at the tender age of 5, his formative years were spent in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, where Hance excelled in sports and education equally.

An honour roll student, Hance balanced a love of science, mathematics, and language with soccer, football and baseball. After grade school, he attended Toronto’s prestigious St. Michael’s College, a private all-boys Roman Catholic day school in Toronto, Canada known for its high standard of athletics and academics. He graduated as an Ontario Scholar.

He is graduate of the University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Science where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Science with Distinction with a Double Major in Physiology and Psychology. While in London, Hance moonlighted by night successfully as an event producer to secure money for school, and proudly produced a mas band for 300 masqueraders at Caribana, North America’s largest street festival in Toronto. An avid member of his Caribbean community, Hance was a member of the University of Western’s Caribbean Student Organization (CSO) and Black Students Association (BSA). He remains active and engaged in student development and mentorship projects.

Upon his return to Toronto, Hance completed The Collaborative Program in Neuroscience, graduating with a Master of Science from the University of Toronto’s Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. He completed his MD at U of T’s Faculty of Medicine, and then his PhD with the Institute of Medical Sciences/Royal College Clinical Investigator Program at University of Toronto.

Today, Hance is proud and active father of 2 boys who enjoys playing soccer, skiing, and travel. He is a Day 1 Raptors fan and seat holder and lover of reggae music. A devoted patient advocate, Hance maintains a demanding public speaking schedule and is a constant in the media as a champion of evidence-based solutions for the opioid crisis worldwide, multidisciplinary chronic pain management and the safe introduction of cannibis for patients.