Announcing Dr. Bonnie Henry as first female provincial health officer
Deputy provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has been appointed as the first woman in the role of provincial health officer(PHO). She will replace Dr. Perry Kendall, who will retire on Jan. 31, 2018.
Highlights of Dr. Henry’s work
Dr. Henry’s career has involved tackling a wide variety of public-health concerns and challenges within Canada and abroad, including: supporting the STOP polio program in Pakistan in 2000; working with the World Health Organization on the Ebola outbreak in Uganda in 2001; and, as associate medical officer of health for the City of Toronto, leading the operational response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in the city in 2003.
“Dr. Henry has hands-on experience in managing large-scale public-health issues both internationally and here in B.C.,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix. “She has a consistent approach with providing straightforward information to the public on the risks of Zika, or air quality, to controlling issues that affect families daily, like influenza. With Dr. Henry, we have a direct and experienced advisor to steer and improve public health in our province.”Professional and educational highlights
Dr. Henry was appointed deputy provincial health officer in August 2014. Prior to taking on the deputy PHO role, Dr. Henry was the interim provincial executive medical director of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and held a variety of public health positions with the BCCDC from 2005 onwards.
About the Provincial Health Officer role
The provincial health officer is the senior public health official for B.C., and is responsible for monitoring the health of the population of the province and providing independent advice to the ministers and public officials on public-health issues that concern people in British Columbia. Health authorities also have medical health officers who have powers under the Public Health Act. Their responsibilities include advising on public health, including management and budgetary roles, providing evidence-based opinions and support to the provincial health officer.