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Joanne Liu

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Joanne Liu
OQ FRCPC
Liu at Chatham House in 2015
Born1965 (age 59–60)
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
CitizenshipCanada
Alma materMcGill University
Known forInternational president of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
AwardsNational Order of Quebec
Time 100
Scientific career
FieldsPediatrics
Emergency medicine
InstitutionsMédecins Sans Frontières
Université de Montréal
McGill University
Joanne Liu
Traditional Chinese廖滿嫦
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLiào Mǎncháng
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationLiuh Múhn Sèuhng
Jyutpingliu6 mun5 soeng4

Joanne Liu (born 1965)[1] is a Canadian pediatric emergency medicine physician, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal, Professor of Clinical Medicine at McGill University, and the previous International President of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).[2] She was elected president during MSF's International General Assembly in June 2013.[3]

Early life and education

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Joanne Liu was born on 4 November 1965, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, the fifth child in Chinese immigrant family from Toishan, Guangdong that ran a Chinese restaurant. When she was thirteen, she read Et la Paix dans le monde docteur, a book about the experiences of a physician working with Doctors Without Borders during the Soviet–Afghan War and decided to become "a doctor without borders" one day.[4]

During junior college, Cegep Champlain St. Lawrence, Quebec City, she travelled to Mali with Canadian Crossroads International.[3] Liu graduated from the McGill University Faculty of Medicine and completed pediatric specialty training at the Université de Montréal-affiliated Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine. She then completed a sub-specialty in pediatric emergency care at Bellevue Hospital Center of the New York University School of Medicine and an International Master's in Health Leadership degree at the McGill University Desautels Faculty of Management.[citation needed]

Career

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Liu started her career with Médecins sans Frontières, in 1996 when she worked with Malian refugees in Mauritania. Since then she has provided support through the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami; assisted in controlling a cholera epidemic in Haiti; helped Somali refugees in Kenya; and offered medical assistance in many conflict zones, including Palestine, Central African Republic and Sudan's Darfur region. She has also helped to develop one of the first programs to offer comprehensive medical care for survivors of sexual violence in the Republic of the Congo.[5]

From 1999 to 2002, Liu was a programs manager at the Paris office of MSF. She then went on to work as the president of the board of directors of MSF in Canada between 2004 and 2009. She has helped to create and currently co-manages the organization's telemedicine project, which connects MSF physicians in 150 remote sites with a platform of over 300 medical specialists across the globe. By communicating through the specialist network, MSF field doctors can receive critical diagnoses and treatment recommendations for their patients within hours.[6]

From 2002 to 2013, Liu served as a full-time Pediatric Emergency Physician at Ste-Justine Hospital in Montreal and at the Health Travel Clinic of the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal. She is also an associate professor at the Université de Montréal.[7]

From 2013 to 2019, Liu served as International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), in Geneva.[8]

On 2 September 2014, Liu gave a briefing to the United Nations General Assembly, urging member states to mobilize against the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.[9]

On 7 October 2015, Liu demanded an independent investigation of the American bombing of the MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan.[10] She denounced the bombing and suggested that it was a war crime.[11]

From 2020 until 2021, Liu served as a member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPR), an independent group examining how the World Health Organization (WHO) and countries handled the COVID-19 pandemic, co-chaired by Helen Clark and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.[12]

Other activities

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References

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  1. ^ "Doctor Joanne Liu to be new Cleveringa lecturer". Leiden University. 22 August 2016. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Dr Christos Christou, new International President of MSF, 9 September 2019". MSF.org. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Dr. Joanne Liu Elected President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International Archived 14 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine", McGill University: 10 July 2013
  4. ^ Biography, drjoanneliu.com
  5. ^ Dr Joanne LIU new International President of MSF Archived 24 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine, www.msf-seasia.org: 10 October 2013
  6. ^ "Learning from Pandemics Past and Present: A Conversation with Dr. Joanne Liu". Channels. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Joanne Liu: doctor without borders Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine", Université de Montréal: 4 September 2013
  8. ^ "International President". MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES - DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023. Past international presidents of MSF ° 2013-2019 Joanne Liu
  9. ^ MSF International President United Nations Special Briefing on Ebola Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine, www.msf.org: 2 September 2014
  10. ^ "Obama Issues Rare Apology Over Bombing of Doctors Without Borders Hospital in Afghanistan Archived 21 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine", The New York Times: 7 October 2015
  11. ^ Lui presumes bombing a war crime Archived 1 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Washington Post, 7 October 2015
  12. ^ Stephanie Nebehay and Kate Kelland (3 September 2020), Pandemic review panel named, includes Miliband, ex Mexican president Archived 15 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine Reuters.
  13. ^ Council Virchow Prize for Global Health.
  14. ^ The New Humanitarian welcomes Dr. Joanne Liu to the board of directors The New Humanitarian, press release of 30 November 2020.
  15. ^ Dr Joanne Liu and Prof Dewi Fortuna Anwar join HD’s Foundation Board Archived 2 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, press release of 6 December 2019.
  16. ^ Board Archived 11 June 2020 at archive.today Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
  17. ^ CEPI announces new permanent board Archived 5 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), press release of 24 January 2018.
  18. ^ Board of Directors: Joanne Liu Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDI).
  19. ^ International Advisory Board: Joanne Liu McGill School of Population and Global Health (SPGH).
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