Chronicle 2020

OLD GIRLS AWARDS

“You can’t be a good doctor if you don’t feel,” she says. She feels responsible for the well-being of Torontonians – all three million of them.

By Danielle Bennett

I t is not surprising that Dr. Eileen de Villa is the youngest woman ever to win the Havergal Old Girls Lifetime Achievement Award. With approximately half her career still ahead, she leads a team of nearly 2,000 people and manages an annual budget of $250M. As Toronto’s medical officer of health, Eileen works for overall health improvement by implementing progressive policies on poverty and harm reduction, homelessness and student nutrition. In the current context of a global viral pandemic, Eileen has distinguished herself as the face of the COVID-19 response in Toronto. In recommending Eileen for this distinction, Mayor John Tory wrote, “when the history books are written about this extraordinary chapter in Toronto and global history, on the City front it will record strong, calm, resolute, professional leadership from Dr. Eileen de Villa. She is a pleasure to work with. That starts with her approach, which is entirely professional at all times. She is collegial and strong and a very effective communicator.” The path from Havergal to her role today involved a lot of learning. Eileen holds four degrees: a B.Sc. from McGill University, a Master of Health Science in Health Promotion and a medical degree from U of T, and finally, an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. Her medical residency was in preventive medicine and public health. As an adjunct professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at U of T, her primary responsibility is supervising residents in that same specialty. Given how highly Eileen speaks of her mentors

along the way, it is no surprise that she is paying forward her experience in this way. Eileen was born in Boston to parents from the Philippines who were also doctors and raised in Canada alongside her older brother. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she did an internship at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Vienna while deciding on her next step. She completed other internships at the UN as part of her master’s in health science. The blend of medical, health care and health system knowledge, coupled with her interest in politics and public policy, paved the way to a career in public health. Public health involves using scientific data to elevate, protect and “heal” often disadvantaged populations. Kindness and empathy are essential to its implementation, and Eileen credits her parents for engendering these qualities in her. She also praises her mentor at Toronto Public Health, Dr. Sheela Basrur, for teaching her to balance scientific rigour with public trust. Despite her busy schedule, Eileen volunteers her time with McGill University, Crescent School and closer to home, her neighbours. She also gives of her time to students, including those in master’s of public health programs, in medical school and in residency training. Some would say that a medical officer of health is a cross between a good doctor and a good bureaucrat, but Eileen points out a missing element: being a good human. “You can’t be a good doctor if you don’t feel,” she says. She feels responsible for the well-being of Torontonians – all three million of them.

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