Joanne Liu’s Medical Humanitarianism

The sky’s the limit for Dr. Joanne Liu, an humanitarian and physician that aspired to reach across borders. Liu became the president of MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) in 2013.

Dr. Liu holds an M.D, C.M degree from McGill University and a Masters in Health Leadership from the same university. She later attended the Université de Montréal for a specialty in paediatrics, focusing on paediatric emergency care at the New York University School of Medicine.

Joanne’s official title is a paediatric emergency physician. Now let’s tie in the humanitarian aspect of her life and career.

Junior year of college was a highlight in Joanne’s life as she had the opportunity to go to Mali! She went with Canadian Crossroads International, which sparked her interest in international paediatrics. Her passion for work oversees earned her a spot at MSF that allowed her to progress in her career, going to Kenya to work in Somali refugee camps and then on to conflict zones such as Sudan.

Dr. Liu has a drive and spirit that have helped her to overcome the obstacles in her path such as working in dangerous situations (for example, hearing sounds of gunshots at night!). She became President of the Board of Directors of MSF Canada from 2003-2009. She became the International President of MSF in Geneva in 2013.