One on One with Markus—Penny Sutcliffe

A strong work ethic has always been a part of Penny Sutcliffe's life.

Before becoming the medical officer of health with the Sudbury and District Health Unit, Sutcliffe says she had many jobs before getting into public health, including working at an ice cream store, a McDonald's, a smoke shop at a Zellers, and even picking and growing tobacco.

"I actually found out I was very allergic to the resin of tobacco," she said. "But it's hard, hard, hard work."

She says she had time to reflect and figure out what direction she wanted to take her life while working on the line at General Motors one summer, where she was checking for fingerprints on the windshields of vehicles.

"That teaches you that you want to do something else, for me anyway," she said.

"You really understand why many people see a job as just a job."

Finding her career

Sutcliffe ended up studying a number of topics in university, and eventually fell in love with the concept of public health.

"I went to medical school at [the University of Toronto] in order to do this specialty training in public health," she said.

"[It] really combined my interest in both kind of politics and health."

Before moving to Sudbury, Sutcliffe and her husband were working in Yellowknife when she saw a job posting. She applied and she and her husband moved to Sudbury.

"I was surprised and certainly as was he what this area has to offer," she said.

"It really is a hidden gem in terms of our environment and the opportunities."

Sutcliffe recently sat down with CBC Morning North host Markus Schwabe. It's part of a special interview series called One on One with Markus that features longer conversations with some of the interesting people in our communities.