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By Neil Armstrong
Contributing Editor
OTTAWA, Ontario (Friday, February 3, 2023) — When Sharon Burey attended her swearing-in ceremony at the Senate of Canada in December, she was accompanied by another Jamaican-Canadian, Senator Rosemary Moodie, and Senator Marc Gold.
In November, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of Dr. Burey, a pediatrician and recognized leader for the health and wellbeing of children in Ontario. She has dedicated her career to equality, and to justice for those living in poverty, visible minorities, and other marginalized communities.
Dr. Burey emigrated from Jamaica in 1976 and has practised as a behavioural pediatrician in Ontario for over 30 years. She has been an adjunct professor of pediatrics at Western University since 2009.
As a health advocacy and policy leader, Dr. Burey founded Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Windsor, and serves as a member of the Pediatricians of Ontario Executive Council and the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) Health Policy Committee. She was also a pediatrics delegate to the OMA Council and member of the OMA Women Committee.
Dr. Burey was the first woman of colour to hold the position of president of the Pediatricians Alliance of Ontario, which also serves as the Ontario Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Her work as a health advocate has been recognized with numerous honours and awards, including the Ontario Chapter Excellence Award and the Special Achievement Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Excellence in Health Care Award from the North American Black Historical Museum and Cultural Centre.
Dr. Burey attended Western University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She completed her medical degree and specialty training in pediatrics at Dalhousie University, and she recently graduated with a Mini-MBA in Physician Business Leadership from York University.
Dr. Rosemary Moodie was appointed on December 12, 2018 by Prime Minister Trudeau.
