Dr. Eileen de Villa serves as Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, where she leads Toronto Public Health, the largest local public health agency in Canada, offering programs and services to address the population health of the city’s more than 3 million residents.
Dr. de Villa earned her Doctor of Medicine and Master of Health Science (MHSc) degree in Health Promotion from the University of Toronto. She also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Schulich School of Business at York University and is an Adjunct Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
In her capacity as the Medical Officer of Health, Dr. de Villa has been at the forefront of public health efforts and evidence-based interventions in Toronto, including guiding the largest vaccination campaign in Toronto’s history during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the response to the ongoing drug toxicity crisis.
Dr. de Villa has authored, published and presented research on issues including public health considerations for city planning and emergency preparedness, communicable and infectious disease control, and public health policy development.
Dr. de Villa has been recognized for her contributions to health equity, health communication and community engagement, receiving accolades from IABC/Toronto as Communicator of the Year in 2021, “Most Influential Filipina Woman in the World” Award in 2022, Faculty Educator awards from the University of Toronto – Public Health and Preventative Medicine Residency Program and the Naimark Award, presented by the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement for her innovative approaches to addressing public health challenges.