Meet Elissa,
public health consultant
Elissa Morgan Davis-Burns is a part-time Health Consultant at MPH Consulting. She found her passion for public health as an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, where she received an Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSc). Her early public health work includes a co-publication in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, investigating barriers and facilitators to frontline workers communicating HIV/AIDS risk to vulnerable populations. Elissa then completed her Master of Public Health (MPH) graduate degree at McMaster University in Hamilton, while concurrently pursuing a career in professional dance. During graduate school Elissa worked at US-based company Evidence Foundation, conducting contracted systematic reviews to inform specific health policy questions at Health Canada and the FDA. Elissa graduated with her MPH as the COVID-19 pandemic was mounting and stepped into the role of Acting Manager of Public Health at a regional health authority in Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. She was responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and all other routine public health programs in publicly owned healthcare facilities for this geographical region. Stepping into a leadership role amidst a global pandemic allowed Elissa to discover her innate skill for problem solving in healthcare administration. After this experience, Elissa took some time to dance professionally full time in Toronto. Elissa is now working full time as a public health consultant. In her work she draws from her education and experience to plan, implement, and evaluate context-relevant and sustainable solutions to health problems/needs.
Elissa is a lover of animals and the outdoors. When she isn’t at work, she can be found hiking to a peak or swimming in a lake with her Husky “Goose”. A dancer all her life, Elissa only recently retired from performing professionally but still moonlights at a local entertainment company. Elissa loves making connections with others both in her community and in her travels. In all things she does, Elissa strives to root herself in the morals of openness and kindness.
