Medical Officer of Health

Dr. Trevor Arnason was appointed Deputy Medical Officer of Health for Ottawa Public Health in May 2024 and has been an Associate Medical Officer of Health (AMOH) since 2019. As AMOH, he was the physician responsible for immunization programs and served as the lead medical consultant for the City of Ottawa’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Taskforce. He has also been the AMOH responsible for portfolios in sexually transmitted and bloodborne Infections, chronic disease and injury prevention and mental health and substance use.  

Dr. Arnason was born and raised in Ottawa and holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Biology and a Master of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Ottawa. After completing his Medical Doctorate from the University of Toronto in 2011, he returned to Ottawa to complete his residency training with dual certification in Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Family Medicine. He fulfilled most of his specialty training requirements, including senior leadership and management, through placements at Ottawa Public Health. 

Prior to joining Ottawa Public Health as an AMOH, Dr. Arnason was the Regional Medical Officer of Health for Halifax, Nova Scotia from 2016 to 2018, where he co-led responses to multiple infectious disease outbreaks including one of the largest measles outbreaks in Canada in recent years. He has an interest in medical education and has supervised dozens of medical students and residents as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine. Recently he served as Program Director for the University of Ottawa’s Public Health and Preventive Medicine Residency Program from 2021 to 2024. He also maintains a part-time clinical practice in Ottawa where he focuses on immunizations and disease prevention for newcomers.