Dr Theresa Tam, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of the Public Health Agency of Canada

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Dr Theresa Tam, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of the Public Health Agency of Canada Dr Theresa Tam is the Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of the Public Health Agency of Canada (the Agency). In this role, she provides support to Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer in day-to-day activities and responding to public health issues of high importance to Canadians. She is also the Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for the Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control Branch at the Agency. In this role Dr Tam oversees Agency activities aimed at making Canadians less vulnerable to impacts of infectious diseases. This includes surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, science research, policy development and national leadership for a wide range of infectious disease threats. Dr Tam has previously provided senior leadership on key Agency initiatives and programs on immunization, respiratory infections, health emergency preparedness and response; public health at Canada’s borders and on public conveyances; laboratory biosecurity; public health workforce, surveillance and other infrastructure capacities; and implementation of the International Health Regulations. Dr Tam is a paediatric infectious disease specialist and field epidemiologist with extensive experience in the management of outbreaks and complex health emergency situations, including the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak; H1N1 Influenza Pandemic; and Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in West Africa. She has served as an international expert on a number of World Health Organization (WHO) committees and international missions, including the first WHO Influenza Pandemic Task Force. She has also served as a WHO consultant on multiple international missions related to influenza and Polio eradication in Bangladesh. .

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Weekly News LeVeL 1 www.classroomready.com Week 33 • 2019/20 Who Is Dr. Theresa infectious diseases, and how help remind people about the to prepare for public health importance of personal hygiene, Tam? emergencies. social distancing, and not taking id you know Canada has Tam was born in Hong Kong in unnecessary trips during the a chief public health 1965. She grew up in the United pandemic, Dr. Tam has appeared Dofficer? Dr. Theresa Tam Kingdom where she got her in a number of videos on TV and was named Canada’s chief public medical degree. Soon after, she online. health officer (CPHO) on June 26, moved to Canada and did her Tam had described public 2017. The CPHO is the federal residency at the University of health as “harnessing the efforts government’s leading health care Alberta. Then, she got additional of many to protect and promote professional. She provides advice medical training at the University the health of all Canadians, to the minister of health and of British Columbia. She including the most vulnerable in leads the Public Health Agency of specialized in diseases that affect society.” That has never been Canada. children. more true than now. The CPHO also works with Dr. Tam has spent 20 years DID YOU KNOW provincial, territorial, and working on public health issues in ? municipal governments. In Canada. She played a leading role The Public Health Agency of Canada, most health care matters in Canada’s responses to previous Canada was created in 2004. It are handled by provincial and public health emergencies.
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