The Board of the Public Health Association of BC would like to congratulate Dr. Richard Stanwick on his retirement after nearly 26 years in BC’s Public Health sector. Dr. Stanwick served with care and distinction. He has served at the forefront of the opioid crisis establishing the first supervised injection site in Victoria, and provided us all unwavering support during the pandemic.
His accolades include the notable Canadian Public Health Association Devries award; however, this is only one of many recognitions of his outstanding service to public health in Canada.
We appreciate Dr. Stanwick’s delayed retirement in order to ensure the best outcomes and management of the Coronavirus pandemic in the Island Health region.
Dr. Stanwick has been an active supporter of PHABC, providing advice and encouragement over his many years of service.
Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Stanwick led the way on working with municipal and regional governments to establish healthy public policy and regulation designed to address health hazards, like smoking, bicycle helmets, and tanning beds.
In partnership with our association, Dr. Stanwick spearheaded a bicycle helmet safety campaign with British Columbian youth that saw hundreds of hand-crafted postcards sent to provincial legislators. The rest, as they say, is history. Dr. Stanwick helped to forge a powerful pathway for advocates seeking to promote healthy communities based on scientific evidence with both organized governance and accountability. That legacy will stand the test of generations and represents a profound contribution to public and population health.