The Importance of Community Engagement in Epidemic Responses: 

Ebola in Eastern Congo as an Example

Dr. AnneMarie Pegg began her career as a Registered Nurse, working at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto before moving on as a Community Health Nurse in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. After returning to McMaster University in Hamilton to complete her medical studies, she finished a residency in Rural Family Medicine at the University of British Columbia in 2006. Since 2006, Dr. Pegg has spent time in various regions throughout the Canadian Northwest Territories, both in a contract physician and locum role. Dr. Pegg also has extensive experience with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), working initially as a project physician but also as a Hospital Medical Director, Mission Medical Coordinator and Head of Mission in over 15 countries worldwide, often in complex emergency contexts. In 2018 Dr. Pegg began a position as Clinical Lead for Epidemic Response and Vaccination for MSF's Paris Operations Centre, where the Ebola and Covid epidemics occupied a significant portion of her professional portfolio.  In 2020, Dr. Pegg left her position with MSF, returning to the Northwest Territories to take on the role of Territorial Medical Director, a role she held until March of 2022. In this capacity, she again played a pivotal role in the Territory's Covid response, including the rollout of the first vaccination efforts. In addition to her nursing and medical degrees, Dr. Pegg holds a designation of special competence in Emergency Medicine, and an MSc in political science (Violence, Conflict, and Development) from SOAS University of London (UK).