The Government of Alberta has announced that Dr. Mark Joffe, currently vice president and medical director of Cancer Care Alberta and already under contract with Alberta Health Services, will succeed Dr. Deena Hinshaw as the province’s chief medical officer. announced.
The move means Alberta Prime Minister Daniel Smith has fulfilled a promise he made at his first press conference as prime minister on Oct. 11 to receive new public health advice and to replace Hinshaw. increase.
“I appreciate Dr. Deena Hinshaw’s work, but I think we’re at a new stage where we’re talking about treating the coronavirus as endemic, just like the flu,” she said at the time.
Hinshaw was first appointed by the NDP government on 21 January 2019 and was responsible for hundreds of COVID-19 orders mandating restrictions across the endemic.
and news release Announcing the change on November 14, Health Minister Jason Copping thanked Hinshaw for his “service and dedication to Alberta over the past few years” and welcomed Joffe.
“Dr. Joffe has been dedicated throughout his career to improving the health of the people of Alberta. He brings this wealth of experience and knowledge to the role of Chief Medical Officer for Health. I look forward to working with them,” Copping said.
Joffe has considerable experience with infectious diseases. He previously served as Chairman of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Medical Staff Association, and he served two terms as President of the Metropolitan Medical Staff Association. He is President of the Canadian Society of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and holds a Specialist Certificate in Internal Medicine and a Certificate of Special Competence in Infectious Diseases from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
A native of Calgary, Joffe is also Professor of Medicine at the University of Alberta School of Medicine and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta and the Stanford University School of Medicine.
He will receive no additional compensation for his role as Chief Medical Officer.
and Press conference On Nov. 14, Smith said more changes are planned, especially to improve efficiency in the hospital’s emergency room.
“We will make an announcement on that point soon,” she said. “We will ensure that the advice that school boards and parents need to receive is received by the Chief Medical Officer.”
Smith also said he would not bring in orders to deal with flu season. Smith said she was concerned about the lack of pain and fever medications for her children, as well as long wait times at children’s hospitals.
“Anyone who feels comfortable wearing a mask should wear one. It should be a personal choice and we support anyone who wants to make that choice,” she said. I got
“We hear clearly that parents want a normal school environment for their children, and we let them remain children.”
“We don’t want you to be in a situation where you think the extreme measures taken during COVID-19 will become the norm,” Smith said. We want to make sure there are no
Smith told reporters that a new advisory board of doctors would also be coming.
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Marnie Cathcart is a reporter based in Edmonton.