Dr Franco Rizzuti

Biography

Dr. Franco Rizzuti is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine Specialist. He works as the Provincial Lead Medical Officer of Health for Emergency & Disaster Management, and Calgary Zone Medical Officer of Health with Alberta Health Services (AHS).  

He is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Community Health Sciences, & Pre-Clerkship Educator Undergraduate Medical Education. 

Franco is a native Calgarian, and a proud University of Calgary alumnus where he earned a B.Sc., in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology, as well as an MD. Additionally, Dr. Rizzuti completed his graduate studies in physician leadership and post-graduate medical education training at the University of Calgary. 

Dr. Rizzuti’s interest areas within public health include emergency and disaster planning, environmental public health, enteric pathogens, health system design, big data and the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. He was involved in elements of the COVID-19 pandemic response and was a co-creator of the Alberta COVID-19 Exposure Response Team, AHS’ rapidly mobilized contact tracing program. 

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Rizzuti has extensive experience as a medical leader, having served as President of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS), the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA), the Graduate Student Association of the University of Calgary and Chair of the Alberta Graduate Council. He has also served on the boards of the Canadian Medical Association, the Alberta Medical Association (AMA), the Canadian Resident Matching Services (CaRMS), Resident Doctors of Canada (RDoC) and the Board of Governors of the University of Calgary. Currently, he serves as President of the Public Health and Preventive Medicine section of the AMA. 

Dr. Rizzuti is passionate about health equity, including within the integrated health human resource space. As a physician living with a disability and president of CAPD, his work includes addressing structural inequities faced by physicians and physician trainees living with (dis)ability. 

Outside of medicine, Franco enjoys spending time outdoors and in the mountain with his partner.