Devon MacFarlane is a recognized expert in 2SLGBTQ+ health, with a focus on systems-level factors that shape access to care, experiences in care and health outcomes as well as the social determinants of health. Devon’s career has centred on advancing health equity for multiple populations often overlooked in planning, policy and service delivery.
As the inaugural manager of Health Canada’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund, Devon led a national funding program and policy work to improve access to abortion and other forms of sexual and reproductive healthcare for underserved populations, including Indigenous, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. In this role, Devon represented Health Canada in whole-of-government work to develop Canada’s 2SLGBTQ+ Action Plan.
As Director of Rainbow Health Ontario, Devon led the Trans Health Expansion, a multi-partner initiative involving Sherbourne Health Centre, Women’s College Hospital and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). During this time, Devon served as an expert witness in support of Bill C-16, which added gender identity and expression to the Canadian Human Rights Act. He was the opening witness for the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health’s 2019 study on LGBT2SQ health in Canada.
Earlier, at Vancouver Coastal Health, Devon led the development of Prism Alcohol and Drug Services, one of the first initiatives in Canada to provide addiction services tailored for 2SLGBTQ+ populations.
Devon has served on the boards of several 2SLGBTQ+ organizations in Canada and the United States, including the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health.
Devon currently lives in Toronto on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and Wendat peoples. This territory is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.