July 20, 2007 (THUNDER BAY & DISTRICT) - The Board of Health for the District of Thunder Bay is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Elizabeth Alvarez to the position of Associate Medical Officer of Health.

“This is a real boost for public health,” stated Connie Bryson, Chair of the Board.
Dr. Nancy Cameron, Medical Officer of Health for the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, agrees. “With a shortage of Medical Officers of Health in Ontario, it is a remarkable opportunity.”

Dr. Alvarez’s interest in public health stemmed from a medical mission trip as a medical student to Honduras after Hurricane Mitch ravaged parts of the country.  “Everything including water, safety, housing and basic infrastructure was gone,” Dr. Alvarez noted.  “I saw that, through public health, we could reach more people and have a greater impact. Providing clean water, sturdier housing, and a sewage system improved the lives of the entire community.”

Originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Dr. Alvarez graduated from the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio, gained her medical training at the Medical College of Ohio, and completed a Family Practice residency and a Master of Public Health. She has worked in urgent care centres in Maumee, and Southern parts of Ohio, the Student Health Center at the University of Toledo and with the Indian Health Services in Arizona.

Married to Dr. Majdi Qutob from London, Ontario, Dr. Alvarez and her husband have a son Noah. Her husband is completing his orthopedic residency.
 
As the Associate Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Alvarez is assisting Dr. Cameron in all areas of public health needs: protection, prevention and health promotion.

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For more information, 
Laura J. Craig 
Coordinator of Marketing and Communications 
Thunder Bay District Health Unit 
Phone: (807) 625-8800