James Orbinski

Dr. James Orbinski is a Canadian physician, humanitarian activist, author, and scholar in global health. His career includes frontline work with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), where he served as medical coordinator in Baidoa during the Somali Civil War and famine, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, and as head of mission in Kigali during the Rwandan genocide and in Goma, Zaire during the refugee crisis. For his work as MSF head of mission during the Rwandan genocide, Orbinski received the Governor General's Meritorious Service Cross.

Following medical school, Orbinski held a Medical Research Council of Canada fellowship to study pediatric HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to early research on the signs and symptoms of HIV/AIDS in children. After extensive fieldwork with MSF, he was elected president of the International Council and served in that role when the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize. He accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of MSF and allocated the prize money to launch MSF's Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines. In his acceptance speech, Orbinski condemned violence against civilians in Chechnya, demonstrating his commitment to advocacy in humanitarian medicine. He also represented MSF at the United Nations Security Council, in national parliaments, to the World Health Organization, and to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Orbinski is the author of the best-selling book, "An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action for the 21st Century," which recounts his experiences as a physician with MSF and explores the political context and challenges of medical humanitarianism. The book has been translated into multiple languages, won the Writers' Trust of Canada's Shaughnessy Cohen Award for political writing, was nominated for the Canadian Governor General's Literary Award in non-fiction, and was selected as one of National Public Radio's Top Five Political & Current Affairs Books. Orbinski is also the subject of the documentary film "Triage: Dr. James Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma," which follows his return to Somalia, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. "Triage" was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Amnesty International Gold Medal Award.

Orbinski co-chaired MSF's Neglected Diseases Working Group, which created and launched the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi). He is also co-founder and chair of the board of directors of Dignitas International, a medical humanitarian organization focused on increasing access to HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in the global south. Through a partnership with the Malawi Ministry of Health, more than 1.4 million people have been tested for HIV infection, and more than 270,000 people have started treatment for AIDS in hospitals and remote village-based clinics in southern Malawi.

Orbinski is an Officer of the Order of Canada, recognized for his work as a humanitarian practitioner and advocate for those affected by war, genocide, and mass starvation. He is also the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the University of California Human Security Award, and the Teasdale Corti Award from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, acknowledging his contributions to medicine and humanitarianism. Orbinski joined Massey College at the University of Toronto as principal, where he is also a full professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, cross-appointed to the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Orbinski is known for promoting active citizenship, accountability, and the importance of bearing witness and speaking out on issues of global health, humanitarian action, and social responsibility.