Dr. Danièle Behn Smith has been appointed as British Columbia's

Dr. Danièle Behn Smith has been appointed as British Columbia's new Aboriginal health physician adviser. Smith will work alongside Dr. Perry Kendall and deputy provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry to provide independent advice and support to the Ministry of Health on First Nations and Aboriginal health issues. Smith will focus on closing the gap in health outcomes between First Nations and other British Columbians. She started in the role Oct. 13. Smith is Eh Cho Dene of Fort Nelson First Nation with Métis roots in the Red River Valley. Her Doctor of Medicine is from McMaster University with residencies at the universities of Ottawa and Manitoba. She has practiced rural medicine in remote communities across Canada and was most recently a family physician at Tse’wulhtun Health Center in the Cowichan Valley. Smith was the board director for the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada, the director of education for the University of Alberta’s Indigenous Health Initiatives Program and the site director of the University of British Columbia’s Aboriginal Family practice residency.