One of the key voices that helped inform Ontario's response to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two and a half years steps down.

Dr. Adalstein Brown, co-chair of Ontario's COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Table, announced that he will leave his position to focus on his work as Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

He will be replaced by Dr. Upton Allen, a long-time member of the Science Table as well as head of the Infectious Diseases Department at the Children's Hospital.

“Over the past two years, Professor Brown has been at the forefront of supporting the province's COVID-19 response by leading the development and implementation of the modeling alignment schedule, providing exceptional leadership and communication with experts, stakeholders, and the public, and bringing together academics and frontline practitioners with diverse expertise to provide coordinated and practical scientific advice to decision-makers in Ontario,” said Ontario's Deputy Chief Public Health Officer and co-chair of the Scientific Table, Dr. Brian Schwartz, in a press release.

Brown was a regular participant in many press conferences held by the table throughout the pandemic, often using the platform to urge the government to introduce public health measures aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19, including the stay-at-home order implemented in April 2021.

During his time with the table, he also gained a reputation for providing particularly candid assessments of the situation Ontario was facing.