BACKGROUND AND TRAINING
Dr. Lawrence Loh spent his childhood between London, Ontario, where he spent his elementary school years, and high school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at Garden International School.
He then completed undergrad and medical school training at Western University before specializing in family medicine and public health at the University of Toronto.
For residency, Lawrence trained at St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, earning his fellowship specializations in family medicine in Canada and in public health and preventive medicine in Canada and the United States.
During his postgraduate training, he also earned a Master of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and also completed visiting placements at the World Health Organization, the Pan-American Health Organization, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Foundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education and Research.
​
Awards
​
Doctor of Laws (honoris causa), Toronto Metropolitan University
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medallion
Key to the City of Mississauga
Award of Merit, Town of Caledon
One of Toronto Life’s 50 Most Influential Torontonians in 2021
2023 Asian Heritage Month Front Line Hero, Canadian Multicultural Council
Honorary Life Member, International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations
​
Lawrence's University of Toronto Faculty Page provides a full overview of his academic record and his primary areas of focus in practice, teaching and research.
​
Early career leadership: Canada and beyond
In his early career, Lawrence worked equally with grassroots non-profits in Latin America to major organizations in Geneva.
From 2009 to 2019, he helped co-found and co-led The 53rd Week, a Brooklyn-based non-profit that aimed to make short-term volunteering abroad more ethical and sustainable through research and advocacy.
Lawrence was also co-founder and inaugural Deputy Chair of the World Medical Association’s Junior Doctors Network, which has since become the international forum for residents, interns, and junior doctors' issues worldwide.
Closer to home, Lawrence began practice as a family doctor in Peel Region, at clinic in Brampton, Ontario, before going on to specialize in public health.
His early career saw him serve as a leader in five different agencies spanning all three levels of government in two provinces of Canada.
Ultimately, though, Lawrence's career would come full circle. In 2016, he returned to Peel as an Associate Medical Officer of Health - and then, on March 14, 2020, in taking on the role of Medical Officer of Health as the COVID-19 pandemic bore down.
Calm, clear and compassionate communicator​
​
As Peel became one of the hardest hit communities in Canada, Lawrence emerged as a trusted leader and relatable communicator, with a noted ability to present facts calmly and simply with compassion and empathy.
​
The work of his team, together with numerous partners, was vital to advocating for Peel's needs, especially those of the community's most vulnerable, and informing difficult decisions to save lives, protect the healthcare system, and limit the pandemic’s impacts.
​
These tough decisions, in the pre-vaccine era, included a moratorium on gatherings and large social events, closing corporate facilities with extensive outbreaks, and shifting schools online as high levels of community transmission rendered in-person attendance untenable.
When life-saving vaccines did arrive, Lawrence's team and partners oversaw the distribution of three million doses in Peel’s contribution to the largest immunization campaign in Canada’s history, using a multipronged approach to rapidly achieve coverage while also ensuring that no group was left behind.
Through each wave of COVID, Lawrence was recognized for his aptitude for leadership and crisis management, as well as communication, through hundreds of press conferences and public appearances, as well as countless meetings around the clock.
​
Creator and connector
On a personal front, Lawrence lives in Toronto with his wife and daughters—and absolutely loves being a girl-dad.
​
His family and friends will readily attest that his natural orientation is towards connecting; among his circles, Lawrence is well known as an unquestioned extrovert who enjoys travelling and catalyzing social gatherings of any size (often with karaoke involved) wherever he goes.
​
Lawrence is also an avid daily distance runner who enjoys races of various distances, notably completing over a dozen marathons. He has a keen interest in creative writing and screenplay, for which he is presently pursuing representation and publication for various projects. He is also a lover of languages and the performing arts, including playing the piano and guitar, singing, improv, and stand-up comedy.
Together with his cheerful, positive attitude, Lawrence's professional experiences and personal pursuits meld into the unique worldview that he brings to speaking, consulting, writing, and teaching engagements.
