In 2024, British Columbia’s Office of the Provincial Health Officer (OPHO) hired Dr. Shannon Waters as the province’s first Deputy Provincial Health Officer of planetary and water health, focusing on land and water issues.
Moving over to the OPHO from Island Health, Dr. Waters brings a wealth of experience with both Western and Indigenous knowledge to this new position.
Throughout her career, Shannon has demonstrated significant leadership in health impacts related to climate and drought preparation. Shannon’s expertise as a First Nations physician and passion for work in this space will help the OPHO to continue to lean into the important work of looking at the impacts of climate change on public health and how we can make a difference in helping people in B.C. to best protect themselves.
Shannon is a member of the Stz’uminus First Nation with many family ties to Cowichan Tribes/Quw’utsun (living in what is known in colonial terms as Duncan, B.C.), will develop and manage major strategies, initiatives and projects dealing with a wide variety of public health issues and provide support to the OPHO, with a focus on climate and planetary health. This includes providing public health medical advice for the provincial drinking water program, climate emergencies, water sustainability, ecosystem health, and other public health issues as assigned by the PHO.
Before working as an MHO, Shannon served as medical director for excellence in maternal care for Indigenous women and families at Island Health in the North Island region. Prior to her time at Island Health, she worked as the Indigenous health physician advisor to the PHO, and held various positions with Health Canada and the First Nations Health Authority. Shannon is a steadfast advocate for the integration of Indigenous knowledge, truth and reconciliation, and building a shared path into public health work; the health and safety of all residents, and a present and compassionate leader in her community.