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Dr. James Orbinski, past international president of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders, will give a free public lecture, "Global Health and Global Citizenship," at UVic on Saturday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. in UVic's Farquhar Auditorium.
This is the inaugural lecture in UVic's new Aspreva Distinguished Speaker Series, sponsored by Victoria-based Aspreva Pharmaceuticals, an international company that develops new applications for existing medicines in the treatment of less common diseases.
A veteran of some of the world's most disturbing and complex humanitarian emergencies, Orbinski was Médecins Sans Frontières's head of mission in Goma, Zaire, during the 1996 refugee crisis and in Kigali, Rwanda, during the horrific genocide of 1994. In 1992-93 he was the organization's medical co-ordinator in Baidoa, Somalia, during the civil war and famine.
Orbinski accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Médecins Sans Frontières in 1999.
In his lecture, Orbinski will focus on health in the developing world, global warming and its effects on health, the role of international governance, civil society, and the role of citizenship.
Orbinski believes that access to health care and essential health technologies are critical global health issues today, especially for the poor.
His research interests centre on: global health and access to health care, medicines and other health technologies; medical humanitarianism, global health research and development policy; and community-based care for people living with HIV in the developing world.
Tickets for the lecture are free to the public and available through reserved seating only. For ticket information, call 721-8480.
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