As of Sept. 2, 2014, deputy provincial health officer Dr. Eric Young will be retiring from the B.C. Provincial Health Office after a decade of service, announced provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall.

Since graduating from the University of Ottawa’s medical school, Dr. Young’s 40-year medical career has included private practice in Surrey, B.C. and public health practice in Ontario and Saskatchewan, where he served as deputy chief medical health officer before assuming the role as B.C.’s deputy provincial health officer.   

During his years of service in B.C., Dr. Young led a number of provincial health planning processes and served on numerous provincial and national committees. Some of that work includes:

• leading the provincial response to West Nile Virus;
• provincial pandemic planning processes;
• reporting on B.C.’s progress under the Drinking Water Action Plan;
• contributing to the Sodium Working Group and serving as vice-chair of the working group that developed the strategic framework for hypertension and control;
• serving as clinical assistant professor in the school of population and public health for the faculty of medicine at the University of British Columbia;
• member of the advisory committee for the University of Victoria's school of public health and social policy;  
• making significant contributions at the national level in a number of areas, including initiating two-dose HPV efficacy studies; and
• developing and publishing, with Canadian Institute of Health Information, a suite of child health indicators.

“Dr. Young has been an invaluable part of the Provincial Health Office team bringing his years of knowledge and skills to our office since 2004,” said Kendall. “He leaves a lasting legacy and will be greatly missed.”

Dr. Bonnie Henry will assume the role of deputy provincial health officer. She will transition from her role as medical director, Communicable Disease Prevention and Control and Public Health Emergency Management with the BC Centre for Disease Control, which she started in 2005. Currently, Dr. Henry serves as the interim provincial executive medical director for the BC Centre for Disease Control.

Dr. Henry has over 25 years of experience in public health and is a specialist in public health and preventive medicine and is board certified in preventive medicine in the U.S. She has worked internationally with the World Health Organization and UNICEF and nationally with Health Canada.

Before coming to B.C., Dr. Henry was the associate medical officer of health for Toronto Public Health responsible for the Emergency Services Unit and the Communicable Disease Unit. She is the past chair of Immunize Canada and a member of the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunization and the National Infection Control expert group.

“The B.C. Provincial Health Office provides British Columbians with vital information, clarity and guidance on public health issues that can affect all of us,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “The role of the deputy provincial health officer is integral to the overall functioning of this team and I want to thank Dr. Young for his contribution and welcome Dr. Henry to her new role.”

The deputy provincial health officer works alongside the provincial health officer and the other deputy health officer, Dr. Evan Adams, to provide independent direction to the Ministry of Health, reporting to citizens on health issues that affect the general population. The deputy provincial health officer also acts in place of the provincial health officer when required and participates in a wide range of committees both at the provincial and national level.

“It has been a distinct pleasure to serve as deputy provincial health officer for this past decade,” said Dr. Eric Young. “British Columbians are well-served by the integrity, depth of public health knowledge and dedication of the Provincial Health Office.”

“I look forward to continuing to contribute meaningfully to public health in B.C. in my new role,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry. “I welcome the opportunity to work with Dr. Kendall, Dr. Adams and the other members of the public health team in B.C. to serve the public health needs of British Columbians.”

Learn more:

Learn more about the Officer of the Provincial Health Officer: http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/pho/

Media Contacts:

Kristy Anderson
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)