David Cecil Williams is a Canadian

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

who served as Chief Medical Officer of Health for the

province of Ontario Ontario is the southernmost province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it is home to 38.5% of the country's population, and is the second-largest province by ...

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 i ...

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 was a 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 Canada w ...

Education and early career

Williams holds three degrees from

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, a Bachelor of Science (BSc),

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

(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 A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...

and anesthetist in

Sioux Lookout Sioux Lookout is a town in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 5,838 people (up 10.8% since 2016). Known locally as the "Hub of the North", it is serviced by the Sioux Lookout Airport, Highway 72, and the Sioux Lookout railway ...

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

Tansen, Nepal Tansen is a Municipality and the administrative center of Palpa District in the "hills" of central Nepal. It is located on the highway between Butwal and Pokhara, on the crest of the Mahabharat Range or Lesser Himalaya overlooking the valley of t ...

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 or abuse, and overdose deaths attributed either in part or in whole to the class of drugs called opiates or opioids since the 1990s. It inc ...

, 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 intentional practices and public health policies designed to lessen the negative social and/or physical consequences associated with various human behaviors, both legal and illegal. H ...

and the extended use of

opioid replacement therapy Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is a treatment in which prescribed opioid agonists are given to patients who live with opioid use disorder (OUD). In the case of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT), methadone is used to treat dependence on heroin ...

with drugs such as

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

. Williams expressed concerns over an increase in

carfentanil Carfentanil or carfentanyl, formerly sold under the brand name Wildnil, is an extremely potent opioid analgesic used in veterinary medicine to anesthetize large animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses. It is a structural analogue of the ...

presence in street drugs.

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 COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Most cases over the course o ...

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 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party since 2018. He represents the Toronto rid ...

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 Addi ...

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)