At a time when Canadians are thirsty for credible information about all things COVID-19, a group of female chief medical officers has been thrust into the national spotlight.

With their unflappable demeanours and personal style, some experts say their new-found notoriety will inspire a new wave of female students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and medicine.

In just a few weeks, the public health chiefs have become celebrities, garnering widespread public praise for their reassuring, fact-based delivery of COVID-19 information.

“They’re all over the media and we’re stuck in our homes, tuned into television, and we’re seeing these women in these high-profile roles executing brilliantly under pressure,” said Christine Allen, scientist and professor at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. “It would be wonderful if more females decide to choose a career in science because they see these women.”

The public admiration has inspired songs, T-shirts bearing their images and quirky social media fan accounts, including one celebrating the chic scarves worn by Toronto’s chief medical officer, Dr. Eileen de Villa.

De Villa isn’t the only one lighting up social media with fashion trends. Sales skyrocketed for Smoking Lily, a Canadian handcrafted goods brand, after Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer, donned one of its periodic-table dresses during a COVID-19 news conference.

“This woman has worked her way up in the medical field to become the CMO of Alberta,” said Smoking Lily founder Trish Tacoma. “It’s pretty awesome.”

When Allen isn’t glued to de Villa’s reassuring guidance via television broadcasts she’s following her frequent Twitter updates.

“It instills confidence and gives me peace of mind,” she said.

“I bet you there will be many young people who will now choose fields related to solving issues after being exposed to all of this.”

The scientists are pushing aside athletes and other entertainers for the public’s attention as citizens try to navigate these unprecedented times.

Toronto family physician Dr. Iris Gorfinkel says women, including the chief medical officers we’re now idolizing, have knocked down tremendous barriers to sit at the top of their fields.

“In my class, about one out of five were women,” said Gorfinkel, who graduated medical school in 1989. “We were a huge minority. A few years ago over 50 per cent (of medical students) became women.”

Gorfinkel said it’s statistically proven that countries and corporations that embrace the advancement of women tend to be more productive and successful economically.

It’s about time powerful women in STEM and medicine get the praise they deserve, added Imogen Coe, the founding dean of Ryerson University’s faculty of science.

“I hope we’re moving to a kind of society where we recognize that we have scientists and clinicians who are celebrities,” said the professor of chemistry and biology. “We worship a lot of athletes and television personalities, but some of our biggest stars are scientists and medical doctors, and we’re seeing them in action right now.”

Coe, who has been a staunch advocate of equity, diversity and inclusion in STEM, said she hopes the concept of female leadership becomes normalized for boys and men as much as it does for girls: “that women are doing this work, are really good at it and we need to see more women in these leadership positions.”

These are some of the key female figures leading the way during the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr. Theresa Tam

Canada’s chief public health officer knows pandemics and what it takes to fight them.

Each day, Tam reminds Canadians that there’s little public health officials can do on their own and that everyone has a role to play in protecting the community from COVID-19.

Her main job is to provide advice to the federal minister of health, plus she heads the Public Health Agency of Canada.

She is also the main co-ordinator among public health agencies across the country. In a system where each province manages its own health system, perhaps her most important job is to be Canada’s unifying voice in the fight against COVID-19.

Internationally, she has advised the World Health Organization on infectious diseases like ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and poliovirus.

Dr. Eileen de Villa

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Toronto’s medical officer of health is used to making headlines.

De Villa has previously commanded coverage for criticizing Ontario’s loosened alcohol regulations and calling for the decriminalization of all personal-use drugs in Canada, saying drug use should be treated as a public health issue rather than a criminal one.

She also called gun violence a growing public health concern, prompting the Toronto Board of Health to ask the prime minister to ban the sale of handguns.

Since COVID-19 was first reported in Canada in late January in a Toronto patient who had recently returned from China, de Villa has urged calm and vigilance instead of panic and apathy.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw

Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, has become the reassuring face of the response to COVID-19, delivering daily web updates to thousands, urging calm while not shying away from the fatal consequences of ignorance and indolence.

In doing so, Hinshaw has become a pseudo-celebrity in her own right. Twitter blew up with concern when Hinshaw announced she was self-isolating after waking up with cold symptoms. She delivered her update from home that day and was back at the podium the next day after testing negative for novel coronavirus.

Dr. Bonnie Henry

When Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer, cried during a news conference at which she confirmed two people had contracted COVID-19 in a long-term care home, her compassion and resolve was described by colleagues and friends as a galvanizing moment in Canada’s fight against the global virus.

Those who know Henry say she is both knowledgeable and battle-tested. Appointed to the position in 2018, she is an experienced virus hunter who has battled SARS, ebola, H1N1 and polio during her career.

Henry headed the B.C. Centre for Disease Control on an acting basis during H1N1 and is the author of “Soap and Water & Common Sense,” a guide to staying healthy in a microbe-filled world.

Dr. Jennifer Russell

New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health since 2015, Russell has a background working for the Canadian Forces and Veterans Affairs.

She weaves directives to citizens about avoiding mass gatherings and implementing social distancing with calls for people to stay connected with one another by phone or through social media, to eat well, exercise and take deep breaths.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald

As Newfoundland and Labrador’s chief medical officer of health, Fitzgerald has urged residents to practise social distancing while reminding them to exercise, tend to their mental health and check in on family and friends.

Recently, she told people it’s normal to be afraid and assured them that health officials are working to protect them.

She has attracted praise from politicians for leading her small staff through the province’s pandemic response and she has become popular on social media.

Dr. Heather Morrison, Prince Edward Island

Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer, has brought a level of calm and experience to the COVID-19 response on the island.

Appointed chief health officer in July 2007, she commands her frequent public updates with a mix of health facts and sage advice.

As P.E.I’s first female Rhodes Scholar, she completed both a master’s and doctorate degree at University of Oxford in comparative social research and social policy. She completed her MD at Dalhousie University, followed by residency training in community medicine at the University of Toronto.

She has served in a variety of leadership roles including chair of the Canadian Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health, P.E.I's representative on the national Special Advisory Committee in H1N1 and co-chair of the Ebola response for P.E.I.

With files from The Canadian Press

Jason Miller is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic

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