Dr. David Butler-Jones was the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada and Deputy Minister for the Public Health Agency of Canada) from 2004 to 2014. He stepped down following a stroke in 2012. He was the first person to hold this office. Throughout his career, he has worked in many parts of Canada in both Public Health and Clinical Medicine. Since recovering from a stroke he has resumed an active role with a number of organizations.
He has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and has been actively involved as a researcher and consultant in public health issues. He is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba, as well as a Clinical Professor with the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine.
From 1995 to 2002, Dr. Butler-Jones was Chief Medical Health Officer and Executive Director of the Population Health and Primary Health Services Branches for the Province of Saskatchewan.
In professional organizations, he has served as President of the Canadian Public Health Association; Vice President of the American Public Health Association; Chair of the Canadian Roundtable on Health and Climate Change; International Regent on the board of the American College of Preventive Medicine; Member of the Governing Council for the Canadian Population Health Initiative; Chair of the National Coalition on Enhancing Preventive Practices of Health Professionals; and Co-Chair of the Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century.
He has received honorary degrees (LLD) from Carleton University (Ottawa) and York University (Toronto), as well as a DSc from the University of Waterloo.
He is recipient of The Canadian Public Health Association Robert Davies Defries Award, its highest honour.
The College of Family Physicians, ScotiaBank Family Medicine Lectureship.
And the Medal of Service from The Canadian Medical Association for, “his outstanding and exceptional contribution to health care in Canada”.
In 2017, he received the Presidents Award from the Public Health Physicians of Canada.
He is a member of the National Board for the a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and continues to speak, teach, mentor and advise on a range of issues in Leadership, Health Systems, Indigenous Health and Public Health.