Sheela Basrur
Dr. Sheela Basrur, O.Ont., (October 17, 1956 – June 2, 2008) was a Canadian medical doctor and was formerly the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health and Assistant Deputy Minister of Public Health. She resigned from these positions late in 2006 to undergo treatment for cancer.
Life and training
Sheela Basrur was born in Toronto, Canada [1] in 1956 to Indian immigrants Parvathi and Dr. Vasanth Basrur.[2][3] After obtaining a Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Ontario in 1979, she received her doctor of medicine from the University of Toronto in 1982. Basrur was a general practitioner in Guelph, Ontario for one year. She then spent a year in India and Nepal where she became interested in public health. Upon returning to Canada, she obtained a Master of Health Science degree in 1987, specializing in community health and epidemiology, again from the University of Toronto. She then completed a post-graduate residency, becoming a specialist in community medicine. She was an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto.[1]
Basrur lived in Kitchener, Ontario where she was undergoing treatment for cancer.[2]
Public career
Basrur became the Medical Officer of Health for the East York Health Unit. When East York was merged into the city of Toronto in 1998, she became the first Medical Officer of Health for the new amalgamated Toronto. She was widely hailed for her work during the 2003 Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) breakout in Toronto, appearing in numerous television interviews on international networks, such as CNN.[4]).
In 2004 she was appointed Chief Medical Officer of Health and Assistant Deputy Minister of Public Health in the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. She resigned from the position on 6 December 2006 to undergo treatment for cancer.[5] She was replaced by interim head Dr. George Pasut.
Honours
In 2007, she was awarded a life membership by the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA), and an honorary doctor of laws degree from York University in Toronto. The Registered Nurses Federation of Ontario announced a nursing oncology fellowship in her name, and the OPHA an award to promote social justice.
On 10 April 2008, Basrur was inducted into the Order of Ontario for public service; this was presented outside the usual award schedule due to her ongoing battle with leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer.[2][3]
On June 2 2008, Basrur died after fighting against a rare form of cancer.[6][6]
References
- ^ a b "Dr. Sheela Basrur: Building good public health through women's health". YWCA of Toronto. 2004. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c Howlett, Karen (2008-04-12). "SARS 'Mighty Mouse' named to Order of Ontario". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Gillespie, Kerry (2008-04-12). "'Can't ever give up hope,' Basrur says". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ CNN transcript
- ^ CBC story on Basrur's resignation
- ^ a b Galloway, GLORIA (2008-06-02). "Sheela Basrur loses cancer fight". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
- "Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care - Public Information - Commissioner of Public Chief Medical Officer of Health". Retrieved June 25.
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