Ottawa board of health launches search for new top doctor

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Dr. Trevor Arnason will take over as interim medical officer of health at Ottawa Public Health when Dr. Vera Etches leaves the role at the end of January.

Etches begins her new job as president and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario on March 3, replacing long-time hospital head Alex Munter.

The Ottawa Board of Health appointed Arnason, who is deputy medical officer of health at OPH, to the interim leadership role on Jan. 13.

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The health board also established a selection panel to oversee recruitment and recommendation of a candidate to permanently replace Etches.

Etches has served as medical officer of health in Ottawa during a tumultuous time, becoming the face of public health measures during the pandemic.

In her final public report as medical officer of health at Monday’s meeting, Etches talked about how meaningful public health work is, and thanked the people of Ottawa “who do most of the work of supporting each other’s health across the city in countless ways, often using Ottawa Public Health resources.”

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