The FNHA's CEO Richard Jock is pleased to announce that Dr. Nel Wieman has agreed to take on the role of Acting Chief Medical Officer effective Jan.7, 2023. Dr. Wieman was previously Deputy Chief Medical Officer, and is now filling the role vacated by Dr. Shannon McDonald, who retired on Jan. 6, 2023.
“First, I would like to thank Dr. McDonald for her many years of service at the FNHA. Her clinical leadership throughout the pandemic and the toxic drugs crisis has been invaluable. Dr. Wieman has been working closely with Dr. McDonald in transition planning and I look forward to supporting her in her new responsibilities." ~ Richard Jock
“I would like to acknowledge Dr. McDonald's career and wish her all the best in her retirement. The Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO) is committed to moving forward, working on projects that will contribute to current public health emergencies, the advancement of health outcomes for BC First Nations peoples and the health system transformation that is necessary to make all health services more culturally safe. I am honoured to step into this role and excited by the work ahead." ~ Dr. Nel Wieman
About Dr. Wieman
Dr. Wieman is Anishinaabe from Little Grand Rapids First Nation, Manitoba. She lives, works, and plays on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples – the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. She completed her medical degree and psychiatry specialty training at McMaster University. Canada's first female Indigenous psychiatrist, Dr. Wieman has more than 20 years' clinical experience working with Indigenous people in both rural/reserve and urban settings. Dr. Wieman also served as the elected President of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada from 2016 to 2022.
More recently, Dr. Wieman served as Co-Chair of a provincial First Nations Technical Committee that created the British Columbia Cultural Safety & Humility Standard, an organizational standard directed at anti-Indigenous racism across all health and social services in the province.
