James Orbinski

James Jude Orbinski (born 1960 in England) is a Canadian physician, writer and humanitarian activist. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a Fellow at the Munk Centre for International Studies. He was President of the International Council of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, aka Doctors Without Borders) at the time the organization received the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize. James Orbinski also 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, Orbinski received the Governor General's Meritorious Service Cross for his work as the MSF Head of Mission in Rwanda during the 1994 civil war. Médecins Sans Frontières currently has active projects in over 70 nations.

President of MSF

Orbinski was president of the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International Council from 1998 to 2001. He has worked with MSF since 1992 in a number of settings – including Goma, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) in the fall of 1996 during the Rwandan refugee crisis; Kigali, Rwanda during the 1994 genocide; and 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 [ [http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385660693 RandomHouse.ca | Books | An Imperfect Offering by James Orbinski ] ] . 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 [ [http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/favourite_stories/evil_revisited.html "Evil Revisited", CBC-TV The National] ] . 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 [ [http://www.nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/?id=54779 NFB - Collection - Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma ] ] [ [http://www.whitepinepictures.com/triage/ TRIAGE: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma ] ] .

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 was President of the Médecins Sans Frontières International Council from 1998 to 2001.

Education and honours

Orbinski received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Trent University in 1984, an MD from McMaster University in (1990), and a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Toronto in (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.

External links

* [http://www.dignitasinternational.org/articles.aspx?aid=31 Dignitas International] - Dr. James Orbinski
* [http://www.nsb.com/speakerbio.asp?i_speakerid=373 Dr. Orbinski] - National Speakers Bureau Profile
* [http://intlhealth.med.utoronto.ca/HEALTHISSUES_ACCESS2MEDICINES.htm Access to Medicines Campaign] - * [http://intlhealth.med.utoronto.ca/index.php Centre for International Health]
* [http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1999/msf-lecture.html Médecins Sans Frontières – Nobel Lecture]

References