CMAJ Canadian Doctor Is New President of MSF International

CMAJ News Canadian doctor is new president of MSF International ediatric emergency physician the fact that international humanitarian and the new president of law is not respected in the field. ... P Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) There’s also the issue of access to vac - International, Dr. Joanne Liu, calls cines at reasonable prices ... and the herself a “doctor by day, humanitarian big, big coming [challenge] of non - always.” transmittable and chronic disease. The second Canadian to head the nongovernmental organization, Liu CMAJ: How will your telemedicine started her career with MSF in 1996, experience influence MSF’s approach working with Malian refugees in Mau - to these issues? ritania. She has since completed more than 20 missions, assisting earthquake Liu: We need to scale up use of victims in Haiti, Somali refugees in higher tech diagnostic tools, as well as Kenya, tsunami survivors in Indonesia telemedicine. ... I think we’re not fully and those caught in conflict zones, harnessing something that's readily s including the Democratic Republic of e available and not that expensive for the r è i t Congo and Sudan’s Darfur region. n better management of our patients. o r F President of MSF-Canada from s n a S 2004 to 2009, Liu now sits on the board CMAJ: You’ve spoken about s n i of directors for MSF-Switzerland and c putting patients at the center of MSF e d recently launched a telemedicine pro - é decision-making — what does that M ject to connect field doctors in remote Montréal pediatric emergency physician mean to you? locations to some 300 specialists Dr. Joanne Liu is the second Canadian to worldwide. take the reins of Médecins Sans Frontières Liu: MSF is going through gover - In addition to her humanitarian com - International. nance reform and there’s a structural mitments, Liu also works as a pediatric growth within MSF that should be seen emergency physician at the Centre hos - CMAJ: How did that impact your through the lens of ... “Does this better pitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine in first experience in the field? our response to our patients in the field?” Montréal, Quebec, and at the Health If it doesn’t, then we should question it. Travel Clinic of the Centre hospitalier Liu: I always laugh when I think de l’Univeristé de Montréal. about my first mission, because I'd CMAJ: How can Canadian physi - Liu joined CMAJ by phone to dis - been dreaming and hoping for such a cians get involved? cuss MSF’s coming challenges and her long time — 17 years since I read that vision of bringing the humanitarian book — that I was doomed for disap - Liu: I completely understand that field closer to home. pointment. It was primary health care going to the field is not for everybody, but there were no real emergencies, but it’s important that physicians and CMAJ: What attracted you to except possibly difficult deliveries. ... I other Canadians break their indifference humanitarian work? was waiting for trauma and action. to the suffering of people elsewhere. You can contribute by talking about these Liu: I wanted to work with MSF CMAJ: What are the emerging chal - issues, being aware of what’s going on, since I was a teenager. I read a book lenges for MSF? giving financial support and ... joining in about a doctor in Afghanistan ... in the from your office as a telemedicine middle of nowhere, trying to do his Liu: Health care structures and staff expert. — Lauren Vogel, CMAJ best. I remember telling myself, “This are being targeted. … Basically, it’s to is what I would like to do one day.” build a community of concern about CMAJ 2013. DOI:10.1503/cmaj.109-4569 © 2013 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors CMAJ, September 17, 2013, 185(13) E609.

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