Role and Facility Information

Chief Medical Officer & Deputy Provincial Health Officer, Ministry of Health

BC Centre for Disease Control

Vancouver, BC





The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is dedicated to preventing and controlling communicable diseases and promoting environmental health for the province of BC. The BCCDC is part of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), which 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.





BCCDC is seeking to appoint a Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to provide public health medical leadership for population and public health promotion and disease prevention. The CMO works in a triad co-leadership model with the Chief Operations Officer and the Chief Strategy Officer where they jointly have executive, strategic, and managerial oversight of public health, and shared responsibility for BCCDC. The CMO also fulfills the role of Deputy Provincial Health Officer (DPHO), reporting to the Provincial Health Officer (PHO) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) for functions, powers and duties carried out under the Public Health Act.





The CMO/DPHO provides medical and clinical leadership of the BCCDC, and the fulfillment of the Memorandum of Understanding with the BC Ministry of Health, with leadership for practitioners within PHSA and provincially across the regional health authorities. The position provides a critical role as a public health leader within the organization as well as across the province, and functions as a public voice for key public health issues while also contributing ongoing work through partnerships with multiple PHSA programs and service providers on our collective response to complex public health decisions in British Columbia.





Reporting jointly to the Vice President, Public Health & Wellness and the B.C. PHO, the CMO will lead public health practitioners provincially, both within PHSA and across the regional health authorities. The CMO/ DPHO ensures that the programs and services supports care to relevant populations and oversees the clinical aspects of the strategic objectives, maintaining strong relationships with the MoH, regional health authorities (RHA), the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) and other key service partners to ensure an integrated and well-coordinated system of health care for the residents of BC. Provides medical leadership in the execution of the BCCDC’s priorities and PHSA’s mandate:

Establish a clear role on the public health landscape to work in a collaborative, service-oriented way to benefit the population and the community of practice.
Identify critical issues of public health significance through routine monitoring of population health, and bring together the expertise, knowledge, research and capacity building in a timely and responsive manner.
Lead/support internal priorities for the Centre for it to function effectively; cultivate a strong and cohesive impact on the health of the population as part of the BCCDC’s day-to-day business, to enable it to be a leading public health institute both provincially and nationally.


The CMO is a leader within the organization as well as across the province, and recognizes the inherent rights and title of BC First Nations and the inherent rights of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit people living in BC. The CMO actively works to uphold the inherent rights of Indigenous peoples by taking actions on specific Foundational Commitments made to Indigenous Peoples (e.g., UNDRIP, TRC, MMIWG and In Plain Sight), being trustworthy in relationships with Indigenous partners, and taking anti-racist actions in all aspects of work. The successful candidate will have commitment to diversity and creating a just system where Indigenous and other marginalized voices are platformed and supported to lead change, and continually demonstrate humility and heart-led leadership through action and personal connection. As a public face during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, this role was called upon to deliver “state of the nation” presentations, and to work with fellow public health leaders and health care practitioners from across PHSA, regional health authorities and the province, to bring data, evidence and rigour to complex public health decisions in British Columbia. Simultaneously with the pandemic, the CMO function has contributed ongoing work through partnerships with multiple PHSA programs and service providers on our collective response to the ongoing toxic drug crisis and the response to/preparation for extreme heat events.





The successful candidate will be a Medical Doctor with current or eligible registration from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada combined with a specialty in Public Health and Preventive Medicine or relevant disciplines. Success in this role requires a minimum of 15 years of experience and training as a Medical Health Officer and/or senior public health leader. An additional Master’s degree in Public Health, Health Sciences or equivalent post-graduate training is desirable. This position will be subject to a Government of BC Order in Council appointment.





All enquiries and applications will be held in the strictest of confidence. Questions about the role or the application process may be directed to Judy Clark, Executive Director, HR Systems Transformation & Executive Search, People & Culture, at jclark@phsa.ca.





Applications will be accepted until January 30, 2023. As per the current Public Health Order, full vaccination against COVID-19 is a condition of employment with PHSA as of October 26, 2021.





PHSA is 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 Governments’ unanimous passage 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 lasting reconciliation. True reconciliation will take time and ongoing commitment to work with Indigenous Peoples as they move toward self-determination. Guiding these efforts Crown agencies must remain focused on creating opportunities that implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Mandate.





ATTN: PHSA Employees:



To be considered as a PHSA employee (internal applicant) for this position, you must apply online via your internal profile at http://internaljobs.phsa.ca



Please note the internal job posting will no longer be accessible after the expiry date of January 30, 2023. If the internal job posting has expired, please contact the Internal Jobs Help Desk and advise that you would like to be considered as a late internal applicant for this position. Please do not apply for the external job posting.



If you have not registered your internal profile, a password is required to log in for the first time. To obtain your password, please contact the Internal Jobs Help Desk at 604-875-7264 or 1-855-875-7264. Please note regular business hours are Monday – Friday (excluding stats), 8:30am to 4:30pm. For inquiries outside of regular business hours, please email the Internal Jobs Help Desk at internaljobshelpu@phsa.ca and a Help Desk Representative will contact you the next business day.

Terms