President of the Public Health Agency of Canada

President Heather Jeffrey's biography

Heather Jeffrey was appointed as the new President of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), in February 2023. From October 2021 until her appointment at PHAC, she served as Associate Deputy Minister at Health Canada. Prior to this, she served as Health Canada's Assistant Deputy Minister (Strategy and Integration) within the COVID-19 Task Force. She also served as Assistant Deputy Minister for Consular, Security and Emergency Management from 2017 to 2020 and as Director General for International Humanitarian Assistance from 2015 to 2017 at Global Affairs Canada.

Heather joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1996, serving at a variety of positions in Ottawa and abroad.

Heather has an MA in International Affairs from Carleton University, a Graduate Diploma in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University (Bologna) and a BA (Honours) in Political Science from Carleton University.