The commitment and effort of Dr. Lamont Sweet has been instrumental in developing our province’s strong public health programs, says Minister of Health and Wellness Doug Currie.
“Dr. Sweet has been a cornerstone of public health in Prince Edward Island for the past 24 years,” said Minister Currie. “Over this time, he has provided leadership, guidance and support for public health programming provincially, nationally and internationally. On behalf of all Islanders, I would like to thank him for his contribution to public health and his dedication to the health and well-being of Islanders.”
Dr. Lamont Sweet will retire as deputy chief public health officer this month.
Dr. Sweet came to Prince Edward Island in 1990 as the province’s chief health officer. During his tenure, Dr. Sweet has been instrumental in the province’s early participation in new vaccine programs including varicella (chicken pox), meningococcal vaccine and HPV. He has published several papers throughout his career.
Dr. Sweet is an honourary lifetime member of the Canadian Public Health Association and an honourary member of the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors.
In 2007, Dr. Sweet transitioned into the role of deputy chief health officer in order to ensure good succession planning. Dr. Heather Morrison was appointed chief health officer. Together they have been very pleased to see significant growth in public health on Prince Edward Island. Public Health programs include immunization, infection control, epidemiology, communicable disease control, environmental health, reproductive care, health promotion, emergency management, vital statistics and others.
Dr. David Sabapathy has accepted the position of full-time deputy chief public health officer. He and his wife Jaycee will be moving from Calgary.
Dr. Sabapathy grew up in Prince Edward Island and has since trained and worked in New Brunswick and Alberta. He is certified as a Public Health and Preventive Medicine physician specialist where he has held progressive responsibility in communicable disease control, environmental health, health promotion, global health, cancer screening and health policy development.
Dr. Sabapathy also holds licensure as a professional engineer with ten years of related experience in quality improvement, environmental risk assessment, occupational health and safety, information systems, policy development, and strategic planning. His experience has been complemented by an MBA in health care management and a M.Sc. in applied public health research.
“It has been a great pleasure working alongside Dr. Sweet and we wish him all the best,” said Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison. “The Chief Public Health Office looks forward to welcoming Dr. Sabapathy. His set of professional certifications and experience will make a great addition to the Chief Public Health Office and our continued development of strong public health programs and policies to protect and promote the health of Islanders.”