Joanne Liu

Dr Joanne Liu commenced her term as International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on 1 October 2013. Her time with MSF started in 1996, when she worked with Malian refugees in Mauritania. Since then, she has provided support after the tsunami in Indonesia, assisted people affected by the earthquake and cholera epidemic in Haiti, and worked with Somali refugees in Kenya and displaced populations in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She has worked in many conflict zones, including in Palestine, Central African Republic, DRC and Sudan’s Darfur region. Born in Quebec City, Canada, Dr Liu trained at McGill University School of Medicine, and specialised in paediatrics at Montreal’s Sainte-Justine hospital. She holds a fellowship in paediatric emergency medicine from New York University School of Medicine, and an International Master’s in Health Leadership from McGill University. She is also an associate professor at the Université de Montréal and a professor in practice at McGill University.