'I have thicker skin now': Dr. Jennifer Russell shares highs and lows of being New Brunswick's top doc
Her daughter was just over a year old when Dr. Jennifer Russell was informed she was being deployed to Dubai, and possibly Afghanistan.
The military doctor hadn’t yet weaned from breastfeeding when she stepped onto a flight to Wainwright, A.B., for pre-deployment training.
A photo of Dr. Jennifer Russell from her time in the military. (Courtesy: Dr. Jennifer Russell)
“So for breastfeeding moms out there who know what happens when you’re going through that phase of, you know, your hormones are kind of all over the place and you're sweating and all sorts of other things are happening,” she said. “And then going out to the field in Wainwright and having showers in containers.”
It's hard to imagine the parallel: from a military uniform in an Alberta field, to blazers and masks guiding a province through a global pandemic.
A picture of Dr. Jennifer Russell from her time in the military. (Courtesy: Dr. Jennifer Russell)
Russell says for her, there are many parallels.
“At that time, I left my kids behind to do my work, and this time they had to leave me so I could do my work,” she said. “And so there was a little bit of a parallel of that feeling of serving my country at that time, and here I am serving my province this time.”
She spent a decade in the military before working in public health.
A picture of Dr. Jennifer Russell from her time in the military. (Courtesy: Dr. Jennifer Russell)
Friday marked her last day as New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health. She spent eight years in the job, including a stint as acting chief medical officer.
“Taking my plate, my name plate off the door, you know, I'm not going to be chief medical officer of health anymore,” she said. “There have been a few tears and but I think the next chapter is going to be really interesting and exciting.”
Russell is taking the lead on an institute studying population health at the University of New Brunswick.
She claims she looks back on her time as the province’s top doctor and doesn’t have any regrets, but it certainly wasn’t an easy job.
Russell was front and centre, essentially the face of the pandemic in the province. It came with scrutiny, criticism, threats and comments.
Dr. Jennifer Russell speaks at a COVID-19 update in Fredericton on June 16, 2021. (Laura Brown/CTV Atlantic)
“There was someone who wrote an email criticizing me saying that I was obese and they thought that I was at-risk of dying from COVID if I got COVID, because I was so obese,” she said. “It wasn’t pretty. There was some nasty stuff but I have a thicker skin now.”
During the first year of the pandemic, her children had to move in with their father full time while she was spending 14-20 hours a day at the office.
“I wasn't home. There were no groceries in the fridge. There was no food that I was preparing for anybody,” she said. “I am proud of my kids, and yes, it did impact them, but at the same time, I think they had the right support that they needed. We kept in close touch. I sometimes would be up here with the Premier and I'd have my cell phone and my daughter would be texting me.”
She says she knows the impact the pandemic and isolation had on all generations. She saw it in her own family.
“Anybody who was going through that developmental phase of junior high, high school,” she said. “My daughter made a comment about the fact that, you know, she was basically in lockdown from Grade 9 to Grade 11, I know that it was really, really hard academically for kids. I think my son, he was in Grade 11 when the pandemic hit, and his academics definitely suffered.”
Some criticism questioned her independence but she maintains her role was as a civil servant, who gives advice to the government.
When asked if she would change anything about the job, she said no.
She did have some advice for who comes next.
“I think I would say, work life balance, number one,” she said. “I think having great working relationships is really important. So investing that time and energy to get to know your colleagues, your staff, and know yourself.”
For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7029443.1725744633!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Police release video of Toronto plaza shooting that killed university student
A university student from Brampton was killed when two shooters fired indiscriminately into a crowded plaza in Toronto last month in what police say was a 'cowardly act.'
'Hopeless and helpless': Regina mother seeks help to treat rare spinal disease
Mary Grace Rico is seeking help in getting treatment for a rare spinal condition.
The iPhone is getting a 'glow' up. What to expect from Apple's Monday event
Apple excited fans with its vision for its 'Apple Intelligence' artificial intelligence system earlier this year. Now, it's time for the company to prove it really works.
No more porta-potties at B.C. construction sites starting Oct. 1
What some B.C. construction workers describe as the worst aspect of their jobs will be coming to an end next month, the province announced.
Trump campaigns in Wisconsin just days ahead of debate with Harris
With just days to go before his first — and likely only — debate against U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump leaned into his familiar grievances about everything from his indictments to the border as he campaigned in one of the most deeply Republican swaths of battleground Wisconsin.
'Extremely vigorous' wildfire activity in central B.C. prompts crews to back off for safety
The wildfire fight in central B.C. intensified Friday, according to officials.
They were due to leave for their dream cruise in May. Three months on they’re still stuck at the departure port
It was the years-long cruise that was supposed to set sail, but saw its departure postponed… postponed… and postponed again.
Aryna Sabalenka beats Jessica Pegula to win the U.S. Open for her third Grand Slam title
Aryna Sabalenka got past Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in a rollicking U.S. Open women’s final Saturday to win her first championship at Flushing Meadows and third Grand Slam title of her career.