James Orbinski
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James Jude Orbinski, MD is Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto and a Fellow at the Munk Centre for International Studies. He was the President of Médecins Sans Frontières (French "Doctors Without Borders") at the time the organization received the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize. James Orbinski is the co-founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of Dignitas International, a medical humanitarian organization working with communities to dramatically increase access to life-saving treatment and prevention in areas overwhelmed by HIV/AIDS.
He is closely associated with the University of Toronto's Massey College where he is a Senior Fellow and was the founding Saul Rae Fellow.
Among other things, he is an out-spoken advocate for increasing the availability of anti-retroviral drugs to combat AIDS in poor countries. He is considered a brilliant orator. In 1998, Dr. Orbinski received the Governor General's Meritorious Service Cross for his work as the MSF chef de mission to Rwanda during the 1994 civil war. Médecins Sans Frontières has currently served over 70 nations in their efforts.
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[edit] President of MSF
Dr. James Orbinski was president of the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International Council. He has worked with MSF in a number of settings – including Goma, Zaire (now Congo) in the fall of 1996 during the refugee crisis; in Kigali during the Rwandan genocide of 1994; and in Baidoa, Somalia during the civil war and famine of 1992-93. His book "An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action for the 21st Century" talks about his experiences as a physician working for MSF in Rwanda during the genocide[1]. He is the subject of the award-winning 2005 CBC documentary "Evil Revisited", which documented Orbinski's visit to Rwanda on the tenth anniversary of the genocide, his first such visit since the violence[2]. He is also the subject of the 2007 documentary "Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma", which follows Orbinski's return to Somalia, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo[3][4].
[edit] Activism
He was a founder of the McMaster University Health Reach Program that investigates and promotes the health of children in war zones, and he was a founding member of MSF Canada in 1990. He has been president of the MSF International Council since 1998.
[edit] Education and honours
Orbinski received a Bachelor's degree from Trent University prior to his MD from McMaster University (1990), and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Toronto (1998).
In 2001, Orbinski was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Trent University. He was awarded another honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Windsor in 2006.
[edit] External links
- Dignitas International - Dr. James Orbinski
- Dr. Orbinski - National Speakers Bureau Profile
- Access to Medicines Campaign - *Centre for International Health
- Médecins Sans Frontières – Nobel Lecture
