Theresa Tam
Theresa Tam | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tam speaking at a 2019 World Health Assembly event in Geneva | |||||||||||
| 3rd Chief Public Health Officer of Canada | |||||||||||
| Assumed office 26 June 2017 | |||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau Mark Carney | ||||||||||
| Minister | Jane Philpott Patty Hajdu Jean-Yves Duclos Mark Holland Kamal Khera Marjorie Michel | ||||||||||
| Preceded by | Gregory W. Taylor | ||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||
| Born | 1965 (age 59–60) British Hong Kong | ||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Nottingham (MBBS) | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Physician | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 譚詠詩 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 谭咏诗 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Theresa Tam (Chinese: 譚詠詩; born 1965) is a Canadian physician and public servant who currently serves as the chief public health officer of Canada, who is the second-in-command of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Tam initially took the role as acting CPHO following the retirement of her predecessor, Gregory Taylor, on 16 December 2016. She was formally appointed on 26 June 2017. She will be stepping down from Canada's chief public health officer on 20 June 2025.
Tam has played a leadership role in Canada's response to public health emergencies, including SARS, H1N1, MERS, Ebola, and COVID-19. She has also worked towards eradicating polio.