Dr. James Orbinski
Dr. Orbinski is a Canadian physician, professor, writer and humanitarian activist. He was a physician and Head of Mission with Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) in Somalia, Afghanistan and Rwanda during the 1994 Genocide and in Zaire. Orbinski was the international president of MSF when it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999, and launched MSF’s Access to Essential Medicines Campaign in the same year. His book, An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action for the 21st Century, describes his fifteen years of experience as a physician and leader with MSF. As well as being active with global health research, Dr. Orbinksi has also been involved in establishing a wide spectrum of medical humanitarian organizations. His notable involvement includes his work as a founding board member of the Global Alliance for Tuberculosis, co-chair in founding of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative and co-founder of Dignitas International. In 2009, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2016, Dr. Orbinski was the recipient of the Royal College Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award. This award is in recognition of Canadian physicians who go beyond the accepted norms of routine practice in their provision of health care or emergency medical services.
