Updated: December 8, 2021, 6:12 A.M.
Toronto, Ontario
Lead’s Toronto’s fight against Covid
Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s top doctor is taking a short leave of absence to undergo surgery following the results of a mammogram. She is expected to be back on December 20.
In a statement issued Tuesday evening, de Villa said pre-cancerous cells were discovered through a routine mammogram this past summer.
“These cells need to be removed through surgery, which I am scheduled to undergo tomorrow. Any further treatment will be determined after the surgery,” de Villa said in her statement.
De Villa was appointed as Chief Medical Officer for Canada’s largest city in 2016 and was at the forefront in the fight against the Covid pandemic since it began.
De Villa says her story “is not unique.”
“Women throughout Toronto receive news like this every day. I want you to know that I am receiving great care and that Toronto Public Health is in good hands with our Deputy Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Na-Koshie Lamptey, who will be Acting Medical Officer of Health in my absence.”