Dr. Vera Etches
Dr. Vera Etches is the Medical Officer of Health for Ottawa Public Health (OPH). From a small town in northern British Columbia, her specialty training in public health and preventive medicine brought her to Toronto. Prior to joining OPH in 2009, she served as an Associate Medical Officer of Health, Acting Medical Officer of Health and Director of Clinical Services at the Sudbury & District Health Unit. In her work as Associate Medical of Health at OPH, she has led and supported work across the breadth of public health practice – from clinical services and outbreak management, health promotion and disease prevention, to surveillance, program evaluation, and evidence generation and dissemination. Appointed Medical Officer of Health in May 2018, Dr. Etches remains committed to addressing rural, Indigenous, and urban health issues and is passionate about building bridges between government, business, community and academic sectors to promote and protect health.
