Fraser Health Authority’s new president and CEO ‘is a natural innovator’
Former chief medical officer ‘well known for her compassionate, focused approach,’ Dix says
Fraser Health’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Victoria Eun Hyung Lee, has been named the new CEO and president of the health region.
Lee will take over from Michael Marchbank later this week, the health region’s board of directors announced on Wednesday. Marchbank, who is retiring, was in the role for four years.
“Dr. Lee has an extensive background with Fraser Health and we are excited she will be able to step into the role, where she will be able to continue to drive the positive progress championed by the organization,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a statement.
“She is well known for her compassionate, focused approach in her prior role as Fraser Health’s chief medical health officer, and I feel confident in her leadership going forward.”
Board chairman Jim Sinclair said that Lee, as an experienced administrator, physician and researcher, has a good grasp of the health-care system and the needs of patients and medical staff. He said the health region, covering 1.8 million people, is the fastest growing region in B.C.
Sinclair said there are numerous challenges in the region including homelessness, the opioid crisis and the fact that about 400,000 people don’t have a primary care physician.
“Victoria is an advocate for wellness, a supporter of healthy workplaces and a well-versed authority on the social determinants of health. This is the type of person we need to continue to take Fraser Health forward. She is a natural innovator,” he said.
Lee earned her medical degree from the University of Western Ontario and a fellowship in community medicine from the University of Toronto. She also has postgraduate degrees in public health and business administration from Johns Hopkins University.
Lee joined Fraser Health in 2010 and has been its chief medical officer for the past four years. In the past few years, she’s advocated ending the stigma around people who use illicit drugs, so that they will be more likely to seek help. The Fraser region has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic and Lee has advocated progressive ways to curb deaths. She has spoken about the fact that overdose deaths are occurring largely among men and has drawn attention to the high number of overdoses among men in building trades who are struggling with opioid addictions.
Besides substance-use disorders, she has focused on communicable diseases, Aboriginal and South Asian health, and mental health matters.
Before joining Fraser Health, Lee had roles with national and international organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank in the areas of comparative health systems, health policy, and health financing. She has also worked as a doctor in rural communities in Chile and Brazil. Lee is expected to be paid $400,000 a year (including benefits) to lead the regional health authority which, this year, has a $3.7-billion budget and more than 26,000 employees. Lee’s interim replacement as the chief medical officer is expected to be named next week.