Role and Facility Information

Public Health Physician and Medical Director

Public Health Response, BC Centre for Disease Control

The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) provides provincial and national leadership in public health through surveillance, detection, prevention and consultation and provides both direct diagnostic and treatment services to people with diseases of public health importance. Come join one of Canada’s best Public Health facilities in one of the world’s most beautiful cities!

BCCDC, in collaboration with public health partners has a responsibility to identify and respond to provincial population and public health priorities in BC, which may shift over time. The focus of the Public Health Response (PHR) service line is to identify and respond to public health priorities through disease and policy surveillance, partner engagement and program development.

The BCCDC is currently seeking to hire a Public Health Physician & Medical Director, working with the PHR service line. The Public Health Physician position is a permanent position, and the Medical Director role is a five-year, renewable term appointment.

Reporting to the Chief Medical Officer, the Public Health Physician & Medical Director, provides medical leadership to the PHR service line, and is responsible and accountable for supporting and leading the development of the PHR service line’s strategic activities, public health policies, programs, and practices. The Public Health Physician & Medical Director provides medical expertise and consultation services to strengthen the provincial public health networks as it relates to emerging public health issues (e.g., risk assessment and preparation, pandemic response and recovery, outbreak response). The Public Health Physician & Medical Director consults, partners, and collaborates with communities, Regional Health Authorities, First Nations Health Authority, Métis Nation British Columbia, Office of the Provincial Health Officer, Ministry of Health and other provincial ministries and stakeholders to identify and address emerging public health issues.

The Public Health Physician & Medical Director supports the ongoing development of public health emergency management including prevention, mitigation, preparedness, rapid response, and recovery. The role will support the PHR service line and BCCDC in the development, monitoring, evaluating, and disseminating provincial public health policies, guidelines, and standards of practice to support quality service delivery. In collaboration with other public health leaders, this role will identify evidence-based outcomes, develop quality indicators and care pathways, ensuring compliance with accreditation standards, and coordinating or participating in quality improvement activities with a focus on patient safety and improved population health outcomes.

The core business of the PHR service line is to prepare for and respond to public health issues, including emergency preparedness and response, management of enteric, vector borne, and zoonotic outbreaks, and supporting antimicrobial stewardship. The Public Health Physician & Medical Director provides expert consultation services, supports research, evaluation, and knowledge translation, assists with training, and coordinates provincial programs. The Medical Director must be able to provide senior medical oversight to the PHR service line staff who deliver a wide variety of public health related services and will maintain key internal and external partnerships to prepare for and address emerging public health issues. The Medical Director is part of the senior leadership team at the BCCDC and is a key contributor to charting the direction of the BCCDC and supporting the leadership in creating a collaborative and creative environment.

Qualifications

Applicants must be eligible for licensure as a specialist in British Columbia and hold RCPSC certification or equivalent qualifications in a specialty related to public health, such as community medicine, public health and preventive medicine, infectious diseases or occupational medicine. Applicants must also be eligible for appointment as senior clinical faculty at UBC or another BC institution of higher learning. Along with at least 10 years of experience in fields related to public health such as toxicology, epidemiology, occupational health, risk assessment and control of environmental hazards, you have extensive practical experience responding to environmental health issues and the development of policy to mitigate risks. You have comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of regulatory agencies, policies, legislation, and processes that govern and are relevant to public health. This senior role requires sound medical judgment on a wide range of public health issues, and an understanding of the structure and mandates of Health Authorities in the province is an asset. Exceptional communication and cross-functional collaboration skills are required together with knowledge of budget preparation and control, and quality control practices in a public health setting.

Contact

To apply for this rewarding career development opportunity, please forward a letter of application outlining your areas of interest, a copy of your current CV, and the names and contact information of three references.

About Provincial Health Services Authority

The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is dedicated to preventing and controlling communicable diseases and promoting environmental health for the province of BC.

BCCDC is part of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA).

PHSA plans, manages and evaluates specialized health services with the BC health authorities to provide equitable and cost-effective health care for people throughout the province. Our values reflect our commitment to excellence and include: Respect people – Be compassionate – Dare to innovate – Cultivate partnerships – Serve with purpose. Learn more about PHSA and our programs: jobs.phsa.ca/programs-and-services

PHSA and BCCDC are committed to employment equity, encouraging all qualified individuals to apply. We recognize that our ability to provide the best care for our diverse patient populations relies on a rich diversity of skills, knowledge, background and experience, and value a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment.

Reconciliation is an ongoing process and a shared responsibility for all of us. The BC Government unanimous passing of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act was a significant step forward in this journey—one that all health authorities are expected to support as we work in cooperation with Indigenous Peoples to establish a clear and sustainable path to meaningful and lasting reconciliation. True reconciliation will take time and ongoing commitment to work with Indigenous Peoples as we move toward self-determination. Guiding these efforts PHSA must uphold legislative obligations and provincial commitments found in the foundational documents such as including Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study.

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