Janice Fitzgerald ONL is a Canadian family physician. Since September 2019, she currently serves as

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

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 ...

, and has provided public health guidance to lead the province during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador The COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador 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). As of January 19, 2023, ...

Early life and education

Fitzgerald was born in

Trinity, Newfoundland and Labrador Trinity is a small town located on Trinity Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador. The town contains a number of buildings recognized as Registered Heritage Structures by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. History The harbour at T ...

. She completed a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in 1990, medical school in 1994, and a Master's in Public Health (MPH) in 2016, all from

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...

Career

Fitzgerald completed her medical residency at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

in Halifax, before moving back to work as a family physician in Springdale from 1996 to 1998, then in emergency medicine in

Grand Falls-Windsor Grand Falls-Windsor is a town located in the central region of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with a population of 13,853 at the 2021 census. The town is the largest in the central region, the s ...

, and family medicine in the St. John's area in 2000. In 2017, Fitzgerald worked in public health policy development at the provincial Department of Health and Community Services, where she was the Clinical Chief, Long Term Care for the Eastern Regional Health Authority. In September 2019, Fitzgerald assumed the role 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 ...

on an interim basis, before taking on the role permanently a year later. Fitzgerald has spoken about different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...

s, preparations for vaccine delivery and the subsequent roll-out in Newfoundland and Labrador, and public health practices.

Public support and awards

Polls from Narrative Research have consistently found Fitzgerald to have a higher public approval rating than her counterparts in other provinces. In recognition of her public health guidance amid the pandemic, Fitzgerald was awarded a YWCA St. John's Honorary Woman of Distinction Award (2020), and recognized as a

College of Family Physicians of Canada The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC; French: ''Collège des médecins de famille du Canada'', ''CMFC'') is a professional association and the legal certifying body for the practice of family medicine in Canada. This national organiz ...

's Family Physician of the Year for

(2020). She has received multiple tributes, including cookies, cross-stitch and petitions to name university buildings after her. On July 22, 2022, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced that Dr. Fitzgerald will be Invested into the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador for her outstanding work in health care during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The ceremony, which will be held at the

Government House (Newfoundland and Labrador) Government House is the official residence of the lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. Government House was a by-product of the wave of administrative initiatives that took place during the 1820s. The royal charter of 1825 bestowed of ...

, will take place on September 28, 2022.

Personal

She lives with her husband and their two puppies in Mount Pearl, and has three children pursuing post-secondary education.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Janice 21st-century Canadian physicians Canadian health officials Canadian public health doctors Canadian women physicians Living people Physicians from Newfoundland and Labrador Year of birth missing (living people) Women public health doctors