Public Health Physician and Medical Director, Clinical Prevention Services - BC Centre for Disease Control

Public Health Physician and Medical Director

Clinical Prevention Services, BC Centre for Disease Control

The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) provides provincial and national leadership in public health through surveillance, detection, prevention and consultation and provides both direct diagnostic and treatment services to people with diseases of public health importance. Come join one of Canada's best Public Health facilities in one of the world's most beautiful cities!

The BCCDC is currently seeking to hire a Public Health Physician & Medical Director, working with the CPS service line. The Public Health Physician and Medical Director is a permanent position, and the Medical Director role is a five-year, renewable term appointment.

Reporting to the Chief Medical Officer, the Public Health Physician & Medical Director, Clinical Prevention Services (CPS) provides leadership and direction in the development of the CPS strategy, program, and service of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). This role consults, partners, and collaborates with communities, Regional Health Authorities, First Nations Health Authority, Métis Nation British Columbia, Office of the Provincial Health Officer, Ministry of Health and other provincial ministries and stakeholders to identify and address emerging public health issues.

BCCDC, in collaboration with public health partners has a responsibility to identify and respond to provincial population and public health priorities in BC, which may shift over time. The focus of the CPS service line is to provide expert clinical consultation services on communicable disease issues (particularly sexually transmitted infections, bloodborne or transfusion transmitted infections, and tuberculosis), support the implementation of clinical services for and surveillance of diseases of public health importance, provide and coordinate research and evaluation, and assist with training, education and coordination of provincial programs. This position has responsibility and accountability for providing medical expertise and medical leadership for public health policies, programs and practice, providing expert consultation services, and strengthening provincial public health networks related to communicable disease issues

Key Activities:

• Provides medical leadership to Clinical Prevention Services.
• Responsible and accountable for supporting the development and leading strategic activities of Clinical Prevention Services.
• Ensure Clinical Prevention Services aligns with the Office of the Provincial Health Officer's legislated and public health leadership responsibilities, as well as the BC Ministry of Health services, policies, legislation and stewardship responsibilities.
• As a member of BCCDC's senior leadership team, the Medical Director provides vision, expertise, and guidance in relation to all aspects of population health practice.
• Maintains key internal partnerships within BCCDC: Service Line Medical and Operational Directors, BCCDC Public Health Laboratory, other programs within the Provincial Health Services Authority, and other agencies involved with communicable disease prevention and control, particularly sexually transmitted infections, bloodborne or transfusion transmitted infections, and tuberculosis.
• Develop and maintain key external partnerships include the BC Ministries of Health and Mental Health and Addictions; the Provincial Health Officer; First Nations Health Authority, Métis Nation British Columbia, Regional Health Authorities, PHSA's Indigenous Health program; non-government organizations with a focus on population health, and provincial, federal and international public health agencies; as well as academic institutions.
• Shifts focus of practice as needed to address changing population health needs

Clinical Services:

• Provide medical and public health leadership and consultation on complex communicable disease issues (particularly, sexually transmitted infections, bloodborne or transmission transmitted infections, and tuberculosis) to the Ministry of Health and the regional health authorities. This includes consultation on the management of communicable disease exposures in individuals and investigation and management of outbreaks including population-based measures to prevent and control communicable diseases,
• Assist and when appropriate, lead the investigation, evaluation and resolution of clinical situations which may pose a threat to human health. Provide medical/technical consultation and advice to the BCCDC, Ministry of Health Services, Medical Health Officers, Regional Health Authorities, First Nations Health Authority, the BCCDC Public Health Laboratory and other British Columbia ministries and agencies as required.
• Provide strong clinical leadership with joint decision making accountability for the delivery of programs and services of Clinical Prevention Services, in partnership with the operational leadership, including:

o Setting priorities and strategic planning for Clinical Prevention Services

o Partner on high-level operation decisions that relate to significant changes or affect strategic outcomes

o Budget recommendations

o Identifying and addressing capacity gaps.

• Provide expert medical advice on public health issues to partners including preparation of decision documents/briefing notes (including evidence reviews and syntheses), program and policy recommendations, presentations, and consultations.
• Participate in national public health forums and groups as required.
• Develop, monitor, evaluate and disseminate provincial public health policies, guidelines, and standards of practice to support quality service delivery. In collaboration with other public health leaders, identify evidence-based outcomes, develop quality indicators and care pathways, ensure compliance with accreditation standards, and coordinates or participates in quality improvement activities with a focus on patient safety and improved population health outcomes.
• Monitor, interpret and recommend actions based on evidence and provincial surveillance data for selected communicable diseases and undertake special surveillance initiatives as needed.
• Provide medical expertise and leadership on surveillance systems and processes including their maintenance, development and evaluation, as well as for associated knowledge products and dissemination, in partnership with stakeholders.
• Generate new knowledge on the presence and extent of communicable diseases in British Columbia and the implications for human health; and transfer and application of this knowledge to communicable disease assessment and management decisions by health authorities, the Ministry of Health, and other decision-makers.
• Develop, lead and implement an applied public health program of research relating to communicable diseases, particularly sexually transmitted infections, bloodborne or transmission transmitted infections, and tuberculosis.
• As part of the group of public health physicians at BCCDC, respond to queries from health authorities as needed on urgent public health issues.
• There may be a requirement to be deployed in order to support regional public health response.

Clinical Administrative Services:

• Lead and/or represent BCCDC in regional, provincial and federal-provincial initiatives and activities related to public health surveillance, planning and policy development.
• Act as a spokesperson on emerging public health issues, including with media.
• Participate in the evaluation of the efficiency, quality and delivery of public health services, including and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, participation in audits, peer and interdisciplinary reviews, chart reviews and incident report reviews.
• Develop materials for publication, including public and professional education, surveillance and program reports, and results or program evaluation and applied research.
• Provide medical expertise to support the development of BCCDC proposals for recommended program or policy changes and funding where necessary.
• Clinically related teaching duties which could include field training of health professionals enrolled in degree programs and continuing education for those in practice. If required, a recommendation for faculty appointment at the University of British Columbia will be provided.
• Participate in and delivering education sessions, lectures, rounds and symposia at BCCDC and other provincial settings.

Other duties as may be reasonably required by the Chief Medical Officer or their designate.

Qualifications

• Applicants must be eligible for licensure as a specialist in British Columbia and hold RCPSC certification or equivalent qualifications in a specialty related to public health, such as community medicine, public health and preventive medicine, infectious diseases or occupational medicine.
• Along with at least 5 years of experience in fields related to public health such as toxicology, epidemiology, occupational health, risk assessment and control of environmental hazards, you have extensive practical experience responding to environmental health issues and the development of policy to mitigate risks. You have comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of regulatory agencies, policies, legislation, and processes that govern and are relevant to public health. This senior role requires sound medical judgment on a wide range of public health issues, and an understanding of the structure and mandates of Health Authorities in the province is an asset. Exceptional communication and cross-functional collaboration skills are required together with knowledge of budget preparation and control, and quality control practices in a public health setting.
• The successful candidate will be recommended for a faculty appointment at the University of British Columbia. The academic rank, based on qualifications, will be recommended by the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia

Contact

To apply for this rewarding career development opportunity, please forward a letter of application outlining your areas of interest, a copy of your current CV, and the names and contact information of three references, to:

Heather Finn
Talent Acquisition Advisor, PHSA
physicianrecruitment@phsa.ca

About Provincial Health Services Authority

The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is dedicated to preventing and controlling communicable diseases and promoting environmental health for the province of BC.

BCCDC is part of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA).

PHSA plans, manages and evaluates specialized health services with the BC health authorities to provide equitable and cost-effective health care for people throughout the province. Our values reflect our commitment to excellence and include: Respect people - Be compassionate - Dare to innovate - Cultivate partnerships - Serve with purpose. Learn more about PHSA and our programs: jobs.phsa.ca/programs-and-services

PHSA and BCCDC are committed to employment equity, encouraging all qualified individuals to apply. We recognize that our ability to provide the best care for our diverse patient populations relies on a rich diversity of skills, knowledge, background and experience, and value a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment.

Reconciliation is an ongoing process and a shared responsibility for all of us. The BC Government unanimous passing of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act was a significant step forward in this journey-one that all health authorities are expected to support as we work in cooperation with Indigenous Peoples to establish a clear and sustainable path to meaningful and lasting reconciliation. True reconciliation will take time and ongoing commitment to work with Indigenous Peoples as we move toward self-determination. Guiding these efforts PHSA must uphold legislative obligations and provincial commitments found in the foundational documents such as including Truth & Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study.