29-06-2025
New Canterbury chief medical officer appointed
Dr Alan Pithie. Photo: Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury Pānui
Dr Alan Pithie has been appointed to the permanent role of chief medical officer for Canterbury/Waitaha.
Pithie brings a wealth of international and local experience to the role, having started his medical career as a house officer in Glasgow, Scotland, in the early 1980s.
He trained in general medicine and infectious diseases/tropical medicine.
Pithie moved to Christchurch with his family in 1999, where he was appointed as senior medical officer for general medicine and infectious diseases.
He has held numerous leadership roles over the last 26 years in Canterbury.
Pithie was clinical director of general medicine from 2003 to 2007. He was then appointed chief of medicine in 2007, a position he held for 11 years.
During the Christchurch earthquake response, Pithie co-ordinated the internal medicine response as chief of medicine, decanting and reallocating resources to other facilities across Canterbury and supporting emergency services.
In the post-earthquake environment, Pithie helped prioritise new care pathways, which are still being delivered today.
He was also the clinical lead who managed the Canterbury response to the Covid pandemic between 2020 and 2023 and was the deputy CMO from 2023 until March this year. He he took on the role of acting CMO until his permanent appointment.
