Getting to know the director of Canada’s first Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program + personal reflections running the program, with Theodore (Ted) Witek Jr.

In this episode, Sujani sits down with Ted Witek Jr., the director of the DrPH program at Dalla Lana. They discuss Ted’s diverse career journey, his research work, and Canada's first DrPH program.You’ll LearnTed’s career from pharmaceutics to directing the DrPH at Dalla LanaTed’s research interests and achievementsHow building relationships is important in your careerThe value of seizing opportunities and keeping an open mindWhat Ted has learned in his position from directing the DrPH programA brief summary about Dalla Lana's DrPH programWhat’s next for the DrPH programToday’s GuestDr. Witek served Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals for nearly 25 years where he held various pharmacology and clinical research positions, including Director of Respiratory and Immunology Clinical Research leading to his roles as President and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Canadian and Portuguese operations. He led the Global Operating Team for Spiriva serving as Co-Chair of the Global Alliance with Pfizer.Dr. Witek also was Chief Scientific Officer & Senior Vice President, Corporate Partnerships, at Innoviva (Formerly Theravance, Inc.). He also served on the Board of Directors of Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) including Chair of the Health Technology Assessment and Public Relations Committee. He was appointed to the Ontario Health Innovation Council and advisor to the Design for Health Program at OCAD University. He is currently  an Adjunct Professor & Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Health & Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. He serves as Director of the DrPH program. Dr. Witek is the author of more than 100 scientific papers as well as several chapters and books.Dr. Witek holds a Doctor of Public Health from Columbia University and a Master of Public Health from Yale University and an MBA from Henley Management College in the UK.ResourcesConnect with Ted on LinkedInFollow Ted on Twitter Learn more about Ted Learn more about Dalla Lana’s DrPH programListen to the previous episode about the DrPH program with Erica Di RuggieroOther PH SPOT resources:Share ideas for the podcast: Fill out this formNever heard of a podcast before? Read this guide we put together to help you get set up.Be notified when new episodes come out, and receive hand-picked public health opportunities every week by joining the PH SPOT community.Contribute to the public health career blog: www.phspot.ca/contributeUpcoming course on infographics: Support the showJoin The Public Health Career Club: the #1 hangout spot and community dedicated to building and growing your dream public health career.

Om Podcasten

Sujani Sivanantharajah from PHSPOT.org sits down with public health heroes of our time to share career stories, inspiration, and guidance for building public health careers. From time to time, she also has conversations with friends of public health - individuals who are not public health professionals, but their advice and guidance are equally important. The emotions, energy, and passion that comes from these stories act as a reminder that this space we’ve created for the public health community is a space that you can lean on as you navigate your career. We believe that to build a successful career in public health does not mean that it has to live up to a certain level of standard set out by somebody else...or that we need to burn ourselves out in the process. We believe that you can craft a career perfect for you, and your unique life. The message we hope to get across through these conversations is that building a career is not only about climbing up the ranks, but about crafting a life that you want, around your unique needs, and one that gives importance to your mental health, wellbeing, and building relationships and friendships: you can only do good in the world if you take care of yourself. Through PH SPOTlight, you will connect with peers you have never met before, and build relationships in a deep and meaningful way. What you will hear the most, from every single person is also passion. Passion to do good. Passion to advance human health and the human race. And a passion to share back with the public health community.