The research career of Ian Stevenson centered on the unconventional study of reincarnation, ultimately collecting three thousand case reports involving children who described memories of past lives. A Canadian-born psychiatrist and academic, he spent five decades at the University of Virginia, where he balanced institutional psychiatry with his investigations into phenomena that challenged traditional psychological models.
Academic and Medical Foundation
Born in Montreal in 1918, Stevenson pursued his education across borders, studying at the University of St Andrews before completing his training at the McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, where he earned a B.S.c. in 1942 and an M.D. in 1943. His early medical career included residencies at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal and St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix. He also held fellowships in biochemistry and internal medicine at Tulane University and Cornell University Medical College. His transition into psychiatry occurred alongside work in psychosomatic medicine, where he explored how environmental stress influenced the development of specific illnesses.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Professional Tenure at the University of Virginia
Stevenson joined the University of Virginia in 1957, serving as the chair of the department of psychiatry until 1967. Following this role, he held the position of Carlson Professor of Psychiatry from 1967 until 2001, later becoming a research professor until his death in 2007. During his tenure, he founded the Division of Perceptual Studies. His academic contributions also included helping to establish the Society for Scientific Exploration in 1982, an organization focused on examining various anomalous phenomena.
The Study of Reincarnation
Over forty years, Stevenson authored fourteen books and roughly three hundred papers exploring evidence of reincarnation. Notable works included Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation, published in 1966, and his 1997 studies titled Reincarnation and Biology and Where Reincarnation and Biology Intersect. He proposed that reincarnation might serve as a third factor—alongside genetics and environment—in understanding phobias, philias, and specific illnesses. While he maintained that his data was suggestive rather than definitive, he argued the findings deserved serious scientific consideration.
Critique and Legacy
Academic reaction to Stevenson’s work remained divided throughout his career. While some peers viewed his investigations as earnest, critics frequently pointed to methodological concerns, including the reliance on anecdotal accounts and the potential for confirmation bias. Despite these objections, he maintained a productive output, and after his retirement, his research trajectory was continued by colleagues including Jim B. Tucker, Antonia Mills, Satwant Pasricha, and Erlendur Haraldsson.
Fast facts
- Born: 1918, Montreal, Canada
- Died: 2007, Charlottesville
- Primary Employer: University of Virginia
- Medical Education: McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
- Key Publication: Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation (1966)
- Professional Field: Parapsychology
- Citizenship: Canada
Questions readers ask
What did Stevenson study in his later years?
He focused on investigating reports of children claiming to recall past lives and the potential influence of those experiences on present biology and behavior.
Did Stevenson claim to prove reincarnation?
No, he described his research as suggestive of the phenomenon, explicitly stating that his data did not constitute proof or compel belief.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Virginia
- Educated at McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and University of St Andrews
- Fields of research: parapsychology
