Dr. Perry Kendall has devoted his professional life to promoting and pursuing innovative health care practices in British Columbia. His efforts have focused on the prevention of disease, injury and disability, and the promotion of population health.

Dr. Kendall is a former Medical Health Officer for the City of Toronto and a former CEO of the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario. He is considered to be one of Canada’s leading authorities on public health and drug addiction. He was co-chair of the task group on the feasibility of Supervised Injection Site Research. He was also instrumental in developing needle exchange programs and Canada’s first safe injection site in Vancouver in 2003.

Dr. Kendall has courageously advanced health practices in B.C., including the creation of an Act that gives pharmacists the right to prescribe emergency contraceptive pills for women; initiating and promoting the health and well-being of B.C.’s Aboriginal people; and initiating legislation that makes HIV/AIDS a reportable disease.

Through his efforts, public health is achieving a higher profile in this province. As a provincial health officer, Dr. Kendall’s leadership enabled the province to rapidly mobilize its resources against a potential outbreak of Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and avian influenza. He is currently working with the Ministry of Health to develop core public health programs, and to modernize the Provincial Health Act.

Dr. Perry Kendall is presently the co-chair of the newly established Pan-Canadian Public Health Network.