Butler-Jones was born in
Toronto. In 1978, he graduated with a doctorate of medicine from the
University of Toronto. He completed his residency in family medicine at
Queens University, obtaining his Canadian College of Family Medicine certification in 1980. He also obtained a master of health science degree in community health and
epidemiology from the University of Toronto. Having worked as a physician for a time in
Newfoundland and Labrador, in March 1983 the Algoma Health Unit appointed him the medical officer of health for the
district of Algoma in northern Ontario, including
Sault Ste. Marie. In 1985, he helped to lead referendums to add
fluoride to municipal drinking water. While voters in the town of
Wawa approved the plan, voters in Sault Ste. Marie rejected it for a third time. In Algoma, he also helped to create a community psychiatric program to provide support for adults with mental illness in their own homes to prevent what he called "the revolving door syndrome" where people coping with chronic mental illness would repeatedly find themselves in hospital. In September 1986, Butler-Jones became the medical officer of health for
Simcoe County. From 1995 to 2002, Butler-Jones served as the chief medical health officer and executive director of the Population Health and Primary Health Services branches for the province of
Saskatchewan. Previously, he taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and was involved as a researcher in public health issues. He was a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the
University of Manitoba as well as a clinical professor with the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the
University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine.
Public Health Agency of Canada As the chief public health officer, Butler-Jones was both the lead health professional in the government and the deputy minister for the
Public Health Agency of Canada. Over the course of his career, he worked in many parts of Canada in both public health and clinical medicine. The chief public health officer was the head of PHAC until the
2014 omnibus budget bill, in which the
government of
Stephen Harper decided to reorganize the management structure of PHAC to institute a parallel presidential structure to govern the organization that then could be staffed by non-medical and non-scientific personnel. After a stroke in 2012, Butler-Jones stepped down as chief public health officer in June 2013 to focus on rehabilitation. He was succeeded by
Gregory Taylor. Following his recovery, Butler-Jones has worked in a variety of roles, speaking, teaching and serving on boards, as well as advising on public health and health system issues, especially as they relate to indigenous health.
Professional organizations In professional organizations, he has served as president of the Canadian Public Health Association; vice president of the
American Public Health Association; chair of the Canadian Roundtable on Health and Climate Change; international regent on the board of the
American College of Preventive Medicine; member of the Governing Council for the Canadian Population Health Initiative; chair of the National Coalition on Enhancing Preventive Practices of Health Professionals; and co-chair of the Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century. ==Honours==