For the past year, Hawthorn Medical Associates’ Dr. Christian Pope has worked closely with the town’s Board of Health as its volunteer physician. 

Come the annual town election on April 6, he hopes to be on that very board.

“I am proud to be part of that team and watch history in the making while making huge strides in keeping our community safe,” he said in a Dartmouth Community Media video statement.

While assisting the Board, Pope said he was especially proud of helping to establish the first public drive-thru flu clinics in Southeastern Massachusetts, something the town used as a proxy for the large scale Covid vaccination clinics at Dartmouth High.

He also helped to craft best practices for pandemic-era Halloween and recommendations to mitigate any potential Covid spreading for Black Friday shopping. 

If elected, Pope said he plans to bring his medical perspective to help make informed public health decisions even after potential herd immunity is reached.

“As the board’s volunteer physician, I’ve had the opportunity to work with other board members closely,” he said. “I realized they’re a group I would love to work more closely with to help our community achieve the highest standards of health.”