This release was issued under a previous government.
“Dr. Hinshaw has been an invaluable member of our public health team and I thank her for filling in as acting Chief Medical Officer of Health over the past several months. I know she will continue working to improve the health of all Alberta families and communities in her new role. I offer my sincere thanks, on behalf of all Albertans, to Dr. Grimsrud for her exceptional work and commitment to protecting and promoting public health over the past several years.”
Dr. Hinshaw has served as the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health since 2017. Since 2010, she has worked in various public health roles in Alberta, including Central Zone Lead Medical Officer of Health and Lead Medical Officer of Health for Public Health Surveillance and Infrastructure. She is also an associate clinical professor at the University of Alberta and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Calgary.
“I take my role in promoting and improving public health in Alberta very seriously and I look forward to continuing this important work as the Chief Medical Officer of Health. I am excited to see what new challenges and opportunities this position will bring in all aspects of population health and particularly in priority areas such as improving health outcomes for Indigenous Albertans and Alberta’s response to the opioid crisis.”
The Chief Medical Officer of Health is responsible for providing public health expertise to support health surveillance, population health and disease control initiatives on issues of public health importance. The position includes promoting and protecting the health of Albertans under the authority of the Public Health Act. The position acts as a liaison between the government and Alberta Health Services, medical officers of health and executive officers in administering the act.
The Chief Medical Officer of Health is also a co-chair of the Minister’s Opioid Emergency Response Commission, which oversees and implements urgent coordinated actions on the opioid crisis.