At today’s Toronto City Council meeting, council approved and appointed Dr. Eileen de Villa as the city’s new Medical Officer of Health.
Dr. de Villa starts her position with the City on March 27.
“I’m very pleased with the appointment of Dr. de Villa,” said Mayor John Tory in a press release. “Public health matters are critical to the people of Toronto and I am extremely confident that Dr. de Villa is well-prepared to take on the top leadership role for Toronto Public Health in its service to our residents.”
Dr. de Villa’s career in the public health field spans over a dozen years. She has previously served as Medical Officer of Health and Associate Medical Officer of Health for the Region of Peel, and has been a professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
“I’m very pleased to welcome Dr. de Villa and wish her every success as Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health,” said Councillor Joe Mihevc, Chair of the Board of Health. “Throughout the selection panel process, she demonstrated solid leadership and management skills, in-depth understanding of public health issues and a passion for public health promotion that will surely benefit the residents of Toronto.”
Along with international experience, Dr. de Villa has published numerous research papers and made presentations on issues including public health considerations for city planning and emergency preparedness, communicable and infectious disease control, and public health policy development.
Dr. de Villa is replacing Dr. David McKeown, who retired last year. Current Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Barbara Yaffe will continue to serve as Toronto’s Acting Medical Officer of Health until the end of March.
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