Dr. Barry Pakes has been named York Region’s new medical officer of health. Dr. Pakes has worked at York Region as a public health physician in support of the COVID-19 pandemic response for the past year. Prior to joining York Region Public Health, Dr. Pakes was the program director of the public health and preventative medicine residency program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, which trains physician specialists to be medical officers of health. Dr. Pakes has held various senior level positions, including associate medical officer of health roles at the Regional Municipality of Halton, the Regional Municipality of Peel and Middlesex-London Health Unit. He also served as deputy chief medical officer at the Government of Nunavut. Other educational leadership positions include global health lead, post-graduate medical education and md program at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and chair of the continuing professional development committee for Public Health Physicians of Canada. Dr. Pakes is a graduate of McGill University and received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Toronto, and a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University. He completed specialty training and became a fellow in public health and preventive medicine in 2007. In 2014, he completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in public health ethics from the University of Toronto. Dr. Pakes practices clinically in urgent care and emergency medicine and has a diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene.
