The Board of Health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lisa Simon as the next Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer, pending approval by the Minister of Health. Dr. Simon will formally begin her new role on October 1, 2025, following the retirement of Dr. Charles Gardner on September 30, 2025. Dr. Gardner has served as the unit’s Medical Officer of Health since 2005.
“This appointment marks a significant milestone and a promise of continued strength and excellence in our service to community,” said Ann-Marie Kungl, Chair of the Board of Health. “The Board has the utmost confidence in Dr. Simon and we are positioned for an effective leadership transition this fall that maintains the health unit’s legacy of excellence. Dr. Simon’s expertise, integrity and passion for health equity will contribute to the ongoing delivery of trusted, responsive, and impactful service across our region.”
Dr. Simon brings over a decade of service to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. A Public Health and Preventive Medicine specialist, she joined the unit as an Associate Medical Officer of Health (AMOH) in 2012. Her primary responsibilities have included health equity and Indigenous engagement, including medical leadership for these SMDHU strategic directions; substance use prevention and harm reduction, including co-leadership of the multi-sector Simcoe Muskoka Opioid Strategy; actively supporting emergency response, including as lead for planning and engagement efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic response; and chronic disease prevention, child and youth health, and health data.
Dr. Simon’s commitment to upstream, population-based approaches to health improvement has shaped her career locally and abroad. She has worked in clinical and public health capacities with diverse communities across Canada and internationally.
She holds an MD from the University of Calgary, a Master of Public Health from the University of Toronto and completed her residency training in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, as well as Family Medicine, at McMaster University. Dr. Simon also serves as a faculty member of the Public Health and Preventive Medicine residency program at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
“I’m very excited to be taking on the role of the next MOH and CEO for SMDHU,” said Dr. Simon. “I am passionate about working in partnership with communities to help improve health and wellbeing, and I look forward to leading SMDHU’s skilled and committed team towards that goal.”
In the coming months, the health unit will work closely with both Dr. Gardner and Dr. Simon to ensure a seamless transition of leadership.
