Dr. Sheela Basrur was appointed the provinceâs Chief Medical Officer of Health and Assistant Deputy Minister of Public Health, effective February 16, 2004. In this role, Dr. Basrur is responsible for developing more effective health promotion strategies and programs, to deliver measurable results. Prior to joining the government at the provincial level, Dr. Basrur served as the Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto, one of the largest public health bodies in North America. Dr. Basrur was the first Medical Officer of Health in the amalgamated City of Toronto and responsible for a staff of 1,800.
Her leadership and expertise on behalf of the City of Toronto during the 2003 SARS crisis is well known. Dr. Basrurâs skilled handling of this infectious disease earned her the respect of not only her public health colleagues here in Ontario, but also across North America and around the world. Dr. Basrur practised medicine as a general practitioner in Guelph, Ontario before entering public health. She holds a Masters of Health Science degree from the University of Toronto and is a specialist in Community Medicine. She is also a graduate from programs at Western Ontario and Dalhousie. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto.
