David Cecil Williams is a Canadian

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

who served as

Chief Medical Officer of Health A medical officer of health, also known as a medical health officer, chief health officer, chief public health officer or district medical officer, is the title commonly used for the senior government official of a health department, usually at a m ...

for the

province of Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Cana ...

from 2015 to 2021. He served as acting Chief Medical Officer of Health for the province from 2007 to 2009 and again from 2015 to 2016 until taking the position permanently. He previously held the role of Medical Officer of Health for the

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

District health unit. His tenure for the Province of Ontario was most notable during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in C ...

Education and early career

Williams holds three degrees from

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, a Bachelor of Science (BSc),

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

(MD) and

Master of Health Science The Master of Health Science (MHS/M.H.Sc.) degree is a specialized master's degree. Depending on the department and specific area of study, the MHS degree provides opportunities for advanced study and research (academic MHS programs) or prepares i ...

(MHSc). He is a fellow of Royal College of Physicians of Canada in community medicine/public health and preventive medicine. Williams initially worked as a general practitioner and

anesthetist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...

Sioux Lookout Sioux Lookout is a town in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Located approximately northwest of Thunder Bay, it has a population of 5,272 people (up 4.7% since 2011), an elevation of , and its boundaries cover an area of , of which is lake and wetl ...

, Ontario and served on an international mission in a hospital setting to

Tansen, Nepal Tansen is a List of cities in Nepal#Alphabetical list, Municipality and the administrative center of Palpa District in the "hills" of western part of Nepal. It is located on the highway between Butwal and Pokhara, on the crest of the Mahabharat Le ...

Public health career

Williams served as the medical officer of health for Thunder Bay, Ontario from 1991 until 2005, and again in 2011 until 2015. He served as associate chief medical officer of health for the province of Ontario from 2005 until 2011, and served as acting chief medical officer of health from 2007 to 2009 and again in 2015 until he took the job permanently.

Opioid epidemic

Williams has been involved in the ongoing

opioid epidemic The opioid epidemic, also referred to as the opioid crisis, is the rapid increase in the overuse, misuse/abuse, and overdose deaths attributed either in part or in whole to the class of drugs opiates/opioids since the 1990s. It includes the sign ...

, which affects Canada and the province of Ontario. His promoted and suggested methods to health care providers in the province involve

harm reduction Harm reduction, or harm minimization, refers to a range of public health policies designed to lessen the negative social and/or physical consequences associated with various human behaviors, both legal and illegal. Harm reduction is used to de ...

and the extended use of

opioid replacement therapy Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. Op ...

with drugs such as

suboxone Buprenorphine/naloxone, sold under the brand name Suboxone among others, is a fixed-dose combination medication that includes buprenorphine and naloxone. It is used to treat opioid use disorder, and reduces the mortality of opioid use disorder ...

. Williams expressed concerns over an increase in

carfentanil Carfentanil or carfentanyl, sold under the brand name Wildnil, is a very potent opioid analgesic which is used in veterinary medicine to anesthetize large animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses. It is typically administered in this context ...

presence in

street drugs Recreational drug use indicates the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime by modifying the perceptions and emotions of the user. When a ...

COVID-19

As Ontario's chief medical officer of health during the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams led the province's response to the COVID-19 pandemic since the first case in the

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...

was identified in Toronto. Williams faced harsh criticism during the pandemic. In November 2020, Williams was scheduled to retire from his position, but was convinced to stay on by Premier

Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He ...

until June 25, 2021 when he was succeeded by

Kieran Moore Kieran Michael Moore is a Canadian physician and public servant who serves as the current chief medical officer of health of Ontario. Prior to his appointment, he served as the medical officer of health for Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Add ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, David Canadian health officials Physicians from Ontario Ontario civil servants University of Toronto alumni Living people People from Thunder Bay Physicians from Toronto Year of birth missing (living people)