The Honourable Chester Gillan, Minister of Health, today announced that Dr. Heather Morrison will begin working on a part-time basis with Dr. Lamont Sweet, Chief Health Officer. Effective July 3, 2007, Dr. Sweet will begin working half-time as the Deputy Chief Health Officer and Dr. Morrison will also work on a part-time basis and will be designated as the Chief Health Officer for the province pursuant to the Public Health Act.
Dr. Morrison is an Emergency Department physician at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and will continue to do shifts in that department part time. Dr. Mitch Zelman will also continue to provide occasional Deputy Chief Health Officer support to the province.
Minister Gillan said, “We are pleased that Dr. Morrison has accepted this role and Department of Health staff are looking forward to working with her as she prepares to take on the Chief Health Officer role.”
Dr. Morrison is a Rhodes Scholar, and was awarded both a Master’s and a Doctoral degree from University of Oxford (UK) in comparative health care systems with a focus in decision-making analysis in public health.
Dr. Morrison is bilingual and studied for her BSc at UPEI and her medical degree (MD) at Dalhousie University. She did further years of specialty medical training in the Community Medicine (Public Health) program at the University of Toronto. She completed a fellowship year of training in Emergency Medicine and has experience in international medicine having recently spent a year working in Southeast Asia.
Dr. Heather Morrison has served on various committees including research ethics at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and at UPEI, and has been a member of the PEI Medical Association’s Health Promotion and Injury Prevention Committee. She has also attended the Canadian Medical Association’s national Council meetings for Health Promotion.
Dr. Morrison is married and has one daughter. She has enjoyed numerous sporting involvements over the years, and was once awarded the Sport PEI All-Round Female Athlete of the Year as well as the UPEI Female Athlete of the Year.
Dr. Lamont Sweet said, “I am extremely pleased that Dr. Morrison has agreed to assume the Chief Health Officer role for PEI. She is well qualified for the position and I’m confident that she will provide a knowledgeable voice on public health issues for the province. I am looking forward to working with her over the coming months.”
“I wish Dr. Sweet the best of health and good luck as he eases into retirement,” noted Minister Gillan. “We are truly grateful to have the opportunity to continue to work with and learn from Dr. Sweet. Over the past 17 years, he has provided exceptional public health leadership in the province. His knowledge and experience continue to be valued by everyone who crosses his path.”