London, ON – The Middlesex-London Health Unit is saluting its long-serving Associate Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Bryna Warshawsky, as she departs the agency at the end of this week to assume a new role with Public Health Ontario. Warshawsky, who joined the Health Unit in 1994, will become a Public Health Physician at the provincial public health agency. In addition to her role as Associate Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Warshawsky is also the Health Unit’s Director of Oral Health, Communicable Disease and Sexual Health Services.
“There are few people who are as passionate and committed to public health as Bryna Warshawsky. While this announcement is a huge loss for the Middlesex-London Health Unit, it is a big gain for public health across the province,” says Dr. Christopher Mackie, Medical Officer of Health and CEO with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “Both the staff and the Board of Health are grateful for her many contributions to the health of people across Middlesex-London and we wish her much success in her new role at Public Health Ontario.”
Over nearly two decades at the MLHU, Dr. Warshawsky has been an integral member of the Health Unit’s Senior Leadership Team and has gained international respect for her contributions to public health. She is currently serving a three-year term as Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunizations (NACI), one of the foremost public health bodies in Canada, which includes representing NACI on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. In her new role with Public Health Ontario, Dr. Warshawsky will be able to share her expertise broadly with health units across the province, including Middlesex-London.
“You can’t replace someone like Bryna Warshawsky. Her skills as a public health physician are world-class,” says Mackie. “Yet we do need to make sure that the duties of the Associate Medical Officer of Health and the Director are fulfilled, so we will begin our search immediately.”
The Health Unit will begin a recruitment campaign shortly in an effort to identify candidates and have a permanent new hire in place this summer.
Media contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit, 519-663-5317 ext. 2469, or 519-617-0570 (cell)
Spokesperson:
Christopher Mackie, Medical Officer of Health and CEO, Middlesex-London Health Unit