Theresa Tam
Appearance
Dr. Theresa Tam was appointed in June 2017 by Canadian Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott to head the Public Health Agency of Canada
Tam was acting chief public health officer since the retirement of Dr. Gregory Taylor in December 2016.
Tam, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, held a number of leadership positions at PHAC such as assistant deputy minister of infectious disease prevention and control.[1]
Tam said the opioid crisis, which cost over 2500 lives in Canada in 2016, could be higher than 3000 in 2017 if the current trend continues. "This far surpasses the number of motor-vehicle fatalities." She said over-prescription of opioids contributed to this.[2]