Joffe to replace Hinshaw as Alberta’s chief medical officer of health: provincial government
Global News
Premier Danielle Smith has followed through on her pledge to remove Dr. Deena Hinshaw from her position as Alberta's chief medical officer of health.
Premier Danielle Smith has followed through on her pledge to remove Dr. Deena Hinshaw from her position as Alberta’s chief medical officer of health and is hiring a familiar face to replace her.
The Alberta government confirmed Monday afternoon that Dr. Mark Joffe, who has spoken to Albertans on numerous occasions during the COVID-19 pandemic at Alberta Health news conferences, will replace Hinshaw effective immediately.
Before being appointed as Alberta’s new interim CMOH, Joffe served as vice-president and medical director of Cancer Care Alberta, clinical support services and provincial clinical excellence.
Joffe’s biography page on the Alberta Health Services website says his “diverse clinical experience includes his specialty practice in infectious diseases.” The Calgary native has worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton as well as at the Edmonton Sexually Transmitted Diseases Centre and the Edmonton Institution for Women.
READ MORE: Alberta Opposition demands Smith revoke call for advice from COVID ‘bioweapon’ doc
Since becoming premier last month, Smith has said she would be replacing Hinshaw and finding new people to give her government advice on decisions related to public health.
Smith has previously indicated she believes Hinshaw and other public health leaders in the province did not provide the best advice for the province as the hospital system faced severe strain amid multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smith has been fiercely critical of how Alberta’s government has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. She plans to amend the Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination against people who choose not to get vaccinated for COVID-19. The premier has said she believes unvaccinated people are the most discriminated group she has come across in her life.
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