Tibor Kolley/The Globe and Mail
Physician, writer, and humanitarian activist, James Orbinski is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and a fellow at the Munk Centre for International Studies. He is co-founder and chair of the board of directors at Dignitas International, a medical humanitarian organization working to bring life-saving treatment and prevention to developing world communities overwhelmed by HIV/AIDS. More than five million people are currently receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS, thanks to the work of Dr. Orbinski and Dignitas International.
Dr. Orbinski was recently appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. His memoir, An Imperfect Offering, was nominated for a Governor General's Award in 2008. He was president of the International Council of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) when the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.
Dr. Orbinski is based in Toronto.
Nominator: James Fraser, Executive Director, Dignitas International.