Alberta Seeking New Chief Medical Officer as Interim Official’s Contract Ends

The Alberta Legislature building in Edmonton on June 23, 2015. Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images

The Alberta government is searching for a new chief medical officer of health following the expiration of the current interim official’s contract earlier this week.

The province confirmed that Dr. Mark Joffe’s contract as chief medical officer of health expired on April 14, and said it is looking for a permanent replacement, with an interim appointment expected to be announced soon.

Joffe was appointed to the role on an interim basis on Nov. 4, 2022, replacing Dr. Deena Hinshaw, who served as chief medical officer of health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her replacement was part of a 2022 commitment by Premier Danielle Smith’s government to establish a new public health advisory team.

“I appreciate the work that Dr. Deena Hinshaw has done, but I think that we are in a new phase where we are now talking about treating coronavirus as endemic, as we do influenza,” the premier said at the time.

During his time in the role, Joffe “has served Albertans as the interim chief medical officer of health with dedication and professionalism, providing public health expertise during a time of significant challenges and transitions,” said a spokesperson from the health minister’s office.

Before his appointment, Joffe had worked for more than two decades with Alberta Health Services. He earned his medical degree from the University of Calgary and pursued postdoctoral fellowships in other institutions, along with additional certifications from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is also a professor of medicine at the University of Alberta.

The opposition NDP criticized the governing United Conservative Party for not having a person in the position while the province continues to record new measles cases.

“We’re now hearing that Alberta does not have a chief medical officer of health. During this urgent measles outbreak the province is without key leadership on the public health file,” said NDP House Leader Christina Gray at the legislature on April 15.

“Why aren’t the Premier, the Minister of Health, and their chief medical officer of health all doing more to increase public awareness of the various serious health risks of measles and encouraging people to get vaccinated?”

In response, the premier said a number of the new measles cases, many of which are linked  to travel, are related to particular communities. She noted that, due to the localized nature of the outbreak, the local medical officer of health is responsible for ensuring information is made available.

The province is “taking a targeted approach to ensure that people know what the risks are so that they can make sure that if they are contagious, they stay away and that they have an option to be able to get vaccinated,” Smith said at the legislature.

She added that the government is running a public awareness campaign, with plans to expand it to radio ads in the communities affected by the cases.

The province recorded six new cases in the last 24 hours as of noon on April 16, bringing the total since the outbreak began in the province to 83. Of those, 75 are no longer considered infectious, according to provincial data.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.