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ORCID Profile
Orcid icon. 0000-0002-2064-3711

Current Organisations
McMaster University , Canadian Institutes of Health Research , York University , University of Toronto , Institut d'études politiques de Paris , Harvard University , Global Strategy Lab

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Publications

Publication

Under the spotlight: understanding the role of the Chief Medical Officer in a pandemic.

Publisher: BMJ

Date: 18-08-2022

DOI: 10.1136/JECH-2021-216850

Abstract: As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in 2020, Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) entered the public spotlight like never before. Amidst this increased visibility, the role is deeply contested. Much of the disagreement concerns whether CMOs should act independently of the government: while some argue CMOs should act as independent voices who work to shape government policy to protect public health, others stress that CMOs are civil servants whose job is to support the government. The scope and ersity of debates about the CMO role can be explained by its inherently contradictory nature, which requires incumbents to balance their commitments as physicians with their mandates as civil servants who advise and speak on the government's behalf. The long-haul COVID-19 pandemic has further tested the CMO role and has shone light on its varying remits and expectations across different jurisdictions, institutions and contexts. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that calls to amend the CMO role have emerged in some jurisdictions during the pandemic. However, any discussions about changing the CMO role need a stronger understanding of how different institutional and in idual approaches impact what incumbents feel able to do, say and achieve. Based on an ongoing comparative analysis of the position across five countries with Westminster-style political systems, we provide an overview of the CMO role, explain its prominence in a pandemic, examine some debates surrounding the role and discuss a few unanswered empirical questions before describing our ongoing study in greater detail.

Publication

The Politics of Surveillance and Response to Disease Outbreaks

Publisher: Routledge

Date: 24-02-2016

Location: Canada

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Related Funding Activities

No related grants have been discovered for Steven Hoffman.

Steven Hoffman

Researcher

Related Links

Publications

Under the spotlight: understanding the role of the Chief Medical Officer in a pandemic.

The Politics of Surveillance and Response to Disease Outbreaks

Related Organisations

McMaster University

Global Health Law Clinic

Canadian Institutes Of Health Research

York University

University Of Toronto

University Of Ottawa

Institut D'études Politiques De Paris

Harvard University

Global Strategy Lab

Related Funding Activities

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