Role model
Dr. Heather Morrison inspired by B.C. counterpart
Chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison draws inspiration from her British Columbia counterpart, who is also a fellow Prince Edward Islander.
“Dr. Bonnie Henry has inspired me certainly as a public health leader,’’ Morrison told The Guardian in a recent telephone interview.
“She is a friend and a colleague that I reach out to regularly. She has had such a steady, calm way of leading.’’
Henry, like Morrison, has received ongoing praise for demonstrating strength and compassion in the face of COVID-19. Henry has even reportedly been nominated for the Order of Canada in recognition of her leadership during the global pandemic.
The accolades being heaped on Henry come as no surprise to Morrison.
“She is a great public health leader and role model,’’ says Morrison.
“She has had that ability to care and is able to have such a critical thinking about public health and population risk and to be able to communicate that, which is really something special.’’
Morrison’s first working relationship with Henry was when Henry was working as interim provincial executive director of the B.C. Centre of Disease Control from December 2013 to August 2014 and Morrison was more than a handful of years into her current role.
The pair, of course, have had regular interaction during the pandemic.
“She’s a pleasure to work with,’’ says Morrison.
“She will often say something referencing P.E.I. In the past we have had face-to-face meetings, and I always looked forward to seeing her then.’’
Henry, who grew up in Charlottetown, maintains a strong connection to Prince Edward Island.
Her parents live just a couple of blocks away from Morrison’s home, and Henry’s sister, niece and nephew live in the capital city.
Henry, unlike Morrison, has made a career away from P.E.I.
In 2000, Henry worked with the World Health Organization and UNICEF on a polio eradication program in Pakistan. The following year she went to Uganda to help combat an Ebola outbreak.
Morrison says her feet have been firmly planted on native soil since she was appointed chief public health officer for P.E.I. in 2007. She has never considered working elsewhere since the prestigious appointment.
Morrison makes a point to mention, whenever she can, that Henry, who was appointed as B.C.’s provincial health officer Feb. 1, 2018, is a native of P.E.I.