New president & CEO at Public Health Ontario

TORONTO – Effective, Monday July 18, 2022, Michael Sherar (pictured) will become Public Health Ontario’s new president and CEO. Michael brings with him more than 25 years of executive leadership, research, clinical and operational management experience in Ontario. Michael was president and CEO of Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) from 2011 to 2019 and continued during the transition period as CCO became a division of Ontario Health. Prior to becoming CCO’s president and CEO, Michael was a VP at CCO for nearly a decade.

“I am very pleased to be stepping into the role of president and CEO of Public Health Ontario,” Michael Sherar said. “In my previous role at Cancer Care Ontario, I had the pleasure of engaging with PHO many times as we collaborated on significant health sector initiatives, especially in the area of chronic disease prevention and monitoring. I look forward to working with the PHO team, and partners, in continuing to strengthen Ontario’s public health system.”

Prior to joining PHO, Michael will be completing a contract role as the Interim Transitional Lead and Chief Corporate Officer for Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation.

“PHO’s Board of Directors is very pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Sherar as PHO’s new president and CEO. Michael will join PHO at a pivotal moment in the organization’s history, as PHO works to support Ontario’s continued response to COVID-19, in addition to the many other key areas of public health that are within the organization’s mandate,” said Helen Angus, chair, Board of Directors, Public Health Ontario. “With significant leadership experience within Ontario’s health system and having been at the helm of an organization focused on chronic disease, we believe that Michael will make an excellent President and CEO for PHO.

She added, “I also want to extend the Board’s thanks to Colleen Geiger, PHO’s current acting president and CEO. At the request of the Board, Colleen stepped up from her role leading PHO’s Strategy, Stakeholder Relations, Research, Information and Knowledge portfolio early in the pandemic to take on the role of acting president and CEO and has provided exceptional leadership during a very challenging time for this organization and the province.”