Lawrence C. Loh is a Canadian physician best known for having served as

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

Regional Municipality of Peel The Regional Municipality of Peel (informally Peel Region or Region of Peel, also formerly Peel County) is a regional municipality in the Greater Toronto Area, Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of three municipalities to the west and northwest ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He was also the sixth Executive Director and

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the

College of Family Physicians of Canada The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC; , ''CMFC'') is a professional association and the legal certifying body for the practice of family medicine in Canada. This national organization of family physicians was founded in 1954 and incor ...

Early life and education

Loh grew up in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

to Malaysian parents of Chinese descent. He grew up speaking English at home and not Mandarin. When Loh was 14, the family briefly moved back to Malaysia in

Petaling Jaya Petaling Jaya (), colloquially referred to as "PJ", is a city in Petaling District, in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Originally developed as a Satellite city, satellite township for Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, it is part of the G ...

for five years. After relocating back to London, Ontario Loh attended

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

for his undergraduate degree and also medical school. He subsequently completed residency at the

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 ...

in Public Health and

Preventive Medicine Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, is the application of healthcare measures to prevent diseases.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health a ...

Career

Loh practiced

family medicine Family medicine is a medical specialty that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary care physician, is ...

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

before specializing in public health. He subsequently worked in public health agencies at all three levels of government in two different provinces before being offered the job of Associate Medical Officer of Health for Peel Region in 2016 by Eileen de Villa (then Medical Officer of Health for Peel, who later joined

Toronto Public Health Toronto Public Health (TPH) is the public health unit in Toronto, Ontario. It is responsible for delivering public health programs and services, enforcing public health regulations and advising Toronto City Council on health issues. The current ...

Academic career

Loh is an adjunct professor at the

Dalla Lana School of Public Health Dalla Lana School of Public Health is the school of public health at the University of Toronto, located at the St. George campus in Downtown Toronto. It was founded in 1927, and was home for 50 years to Connaught Laboratories, a manufacturer of ...

Medical Officer of Health during COVID-19

Loh was the Medical Officer of Health for Peel Region throughout the first two years of

COVID-19 pandemic in the Regional Municipality of Peel The COVID-19 pandemic 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 pandemic has affected the Cities of Mississauga and Brampt ...

. In April 2021, Loh notably broke from the approach taken by the province and ordered Peel Region schools closed, as well as an Amazon Fulfillment Facility closed, both of which were accomplished through section 22 orders. During Asian Heritage Month in May 2021, Loh was recognized in the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

by Senator

Victor Oh Victor Oh (Chinese language, Chinese: 胡子修, born June 10, 1949) is a retired Canadian politician who served as a Senate of Canada, Canadian senator from Ontario from January 2013 until his mandatory retirement in June 2024. Early life Oh w ...

. In his intervention, Senator Oh hailed Loh as a hero in the community, citing that Loh's "forward thinking and resolve ..were instrumental in containing COVID-19 transmission in one of the country's hardest Regions." The Key to the City of

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

was presented to Loh on March 3, 2022, by Mayor

Bonnie Crombie Bonnie-Michelle Teresa Bernadette Stack Sawarna Crombie ( Stack, formerly Sawarna; born February 5, 1960) is a Canadian politician and businesswoman who has been the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party since December 2, 2023. Crombie previousl ...

to recognize his role in the city's pandemic response.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loh, Lawrence Living people People from London, Ontario Physicians from Ontario University of Western Ontario alumni Canadian public health doctors Academic staff of the University of Toronto Canadian health officials 21st-century Canadian civil servants 21st-century Canadian physicians Year of birth missing (living people)