Dr. Karen Grimsrud is Alberta’s new Chief Medical Officer of Health, but she’s not a stranger to healthcare in the province.
Grimsrud has worked in the public health field for 25 years, 20 of which were in Alberta. She has worked with the Public Health Agency of Canada since 2009.
She has focused on immunization, communicable disease control, public health emergency preparedness, chronic disease prevention and methodology.
“Public health has long been a passion of mine,” she said. “I’m looking forward to taking on this new challenge and contributing as part of a team to promote and protect public health in Alberta.”
Grimsrud will begin her post on April 18. She will be a member of the Alberta Health executive team and will advise the minister on public health and population health matters.
She replaces Dr. John Talbot, who was appointed by the Progressive Conservatives in 2012. Talbot’s contract expired last summer.
In 2008, Grimsrud resigned from her post as acting provincial health officer with Alberta Health and Wellness. She, along with two other top health officials, left their posts one month after Alberta’s nine health care regions were combined into the Alberta Health Services “superboard.”
With files from The Canadian Press