Dr. Joanne Liu Shares her Passion for Emergency Medicine with Students
On Thursday, April 10th, St. Lawrence alumna Dr. Joanne Liu visited the college to give a talk about her career in medicine and foreign aid and discuss the experiences that inspired her new book, L’Ébola, les bombes, et les migrants. Speaking before a packed auditorium, she shared her story with students and shed some light on what it’s like to work with Doctors Without Borders (DWB).
She started the talk from the beginning of her professional journey, explaining who she was when she was in cegep herself. Her desire to become a doctor took her to McGill Medicine, where she determined that she wanted to work in conflict zones. She undertook emergency training to become a pediatric emergency physician, which eventually led her to DWB. Her first mission with the organization was a difficult one, from which she felt compelled to resign due to a disagreement over the relocation of a refugee camp. Dr. Liu spoke of the importance of sticking with your principles. She went on to complete dozens more missions in conflict and disaster zones around the world, eventually becoming the International President of DWB from 2013-2019.
There are 307 Million people in need of humanitarian aid, she explained, but it can be difficult to get people the support they need. She discussed the challenge of grasping the world’s attention in response to a crisis; some get plenty of coverage, like the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, and others do not.
She spoke at length about another significant challenge, one which is only increasing in importance: the issue of security. Foreign aid workers were once protected by the rules of war and of international humanitarian law, but they are being killed more and more frequently in ongoing conflicts. Similarly, patients are not protected; Dr. Liu told the story of her recent work in Ukraine, transferring patients away from the front lines on an ICU train.
Making war zones inhospitable to civilians, she said, is what truly drives the migrant crisis. When the best option is to flee, no matter the challenges, people will go. “There is no wall high enough, there is no sea dangerous enough to stop parents from dreaming for their children.”
After the talk, Dr. Liu fielded several questions about her work; it was clear that St. Lawrence’s large population of aspiring doctors were inspired by the talk. There was a renewed sense of motivation in the room as the lunch hour drew to a close, with several more students approaching Dr. Liu with their questions and comments.
We thank Dr. Liu for her inspiring talk. You can learn more about her career below.
Dr. Liu poses with students after her talk
_____________
Dr. Joanne Liu is a graduate of McGill Medicine and a pediatric emergency medicine physician. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal, as well as a Professor at McGill’s School of Population and Global Health, where she is the Director of the Pandemics and Health Emergencies Readiness Lab. She also served as a member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which considered the responses of the World Health Organization and of individual countries to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She joined Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, in 1996, and through this organization has provided medical assistance in many regions around the world, including in the wake of natural disasters and in conflict zones. From 2013 to 2019, she was the International President of MSF, and she currently co-manages MSF’s telemedicine project, which she helped to found. Her book L’Ébola, les bombes, et les migrants, is now available for purchase.
