The James M. Robinson Award for significant contributions to public health
This mid-career award is named for Dr. James McClure Robinson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Care and Epidemiology. Dr. Robinson joined the Department in 1974 and passed away in 1982.
This award was given to Dr. Murray Fyfe.
Dr. Fyfe began his public health career in BC in 1996 as a Health Canada Field Epidemiologist at the BC Centre of Disease Control. He subsequently worked as a Physician Epidemiologist at BCCDC from 1997-2004, where his primary areas of focus were enteric disease control and vector-borne disease control.
Dr. Fyfe is currently a Medical Health Officer in Vancouver Island Health Authority, where he has worked since 2004. He initially led the communicable disease portfolio, however he has expanded to other areas in recent years. Among his accomplishments:
- Dr. Fyfe undertook the evidence review and provided the scientific rationale for the successful implementation of a tanning bylaw in the Capital Regional District; the bylaw prevented those under age 18 from using tanning beds. Victoria became the first jurisdiction in B.C. and one of the first in Canada to adopt such a bylaw, and
- He has led work in injury prevention and environmental health for VIHA, and more recently, tobacco control.
In addition to his public health practice, Dr. Fyfe has had a strong academic career, with multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals and an impressive commitment to teaching. He established the curriculum for a Public Health and Preventive Medicine residency rotation on Vancouver Island, and led the I-track study in Victoria, with funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada. This study assessed prevalence and trends in HIV and hepatitis C among injection drugs users in Victoria. In addition, Dr. Fyfe is currently a member of the Exam Board for the Public Health and Preventive Medicine exam at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Congratulations to Dr. Fyfe.