Dr Eilish Cleary, an Irish medical expert who held the position as the chief medical officer in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, has tragically passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 60. She passed away in a hospice in the capital of New Brunswick, Fredericton, on Friday. Born and raised in Malahide, north Dublin, she became Ireland’s youngest doctor when she graduated from Trinity College Dublin at 22 years old in the 1980s. She then relocated to Canada where she worked in a hospital serving Manitoba’s Cree First Nations community before finally setting down roots in New Brunswick.
For eight years, Dr. Clearly held the position as the province’s chief medical officer. In this role, she created a report in 2012 that detailed the health risks of fracking. When the local government initially refused to release her report, public outrage saw to its eventual publication.
At the time of her dismissal from her post in 2015 under undisclosed reasons, Dr Cleary was investigating glysophates, which have potential carcinogenic properties, and their widespread usage on provincial lands. Critics speculating on her dismissal suggested that the Liberal provincial government of New Brunswick wished to lift a ban on shale gas exploration, a move which she had been strongly opposed to.
Native American communities in the area had expressed deep concerns about this exploration process in their lands, which could potentially lead to water contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
In 2014, Dr Cleary dedicated 10 weeks of her time aiding the World Health Organisation in efforts to control the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Her obituary acknowledged her firm belief in universal healthcare access and her life-long dedication to this cause.
Dr Cleary’s memory will be cherished by her partner Paul, her four children, her children’s father Gerry. The final rites will take place in Canada on Monday, upon which, her remains will be returned to her homeland, Ireland.