Toronto physician named new scientific director of provincial COVID-19 advisory group

Ontario's expert COVID-19 advisory group has named a Toronto physician as its new scientific director.

Public Health Ontario, which now oversees the group, says Dr. Fahad Razak will replace Dr. Peter Juni in his role on the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

Razak is an internist at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, with research expertise in global health and health services.

He has been a member of the science table since it was founded and Public Health Ontario says he has contributed to briefs about long COVID, vaccines, hospital visitor policies and therapeutics.

Razak says in a Twitter post that he hopes "science will continue to help us determine the best way forward" through the next phase of the pandemic.

The public health agency announced last month it would start overseeing the expert group and says it is developing new terms of reference so the science table can respond to future public health emergencies if necessary.