Dr. Joanne Liu

Dr. Joanne Liu, MD, FRCPC, OQ, is a pediatric emergency physician and global health leader. She currently practices pediatric emergency medicine at CHU Sainte-Justine (Université de Montréal) and serves as Professor at McGill University’s School of Population and Global Health, where she leads the Pandemics and Health Emergencies Readiness Lab (PERL). Her clinical focus includes pediatric emergency and trauma care, acute care delivery in resource-limited settings, and care models that support patients and families affected by humanitarian crises. Her research interests center on pandemic and health-emergency preparedness, humanitarian health and polycrisis response, and telemedicine-enabled support for clinicians working in remote and fragile contexts. Dr. Liu previously served as International President of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders and has held leadership and governance roles including Chair of the Board of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, as well as board service with CEPI and DNDi and advisory roles with global health commissions. Her distinctions include the National Order of Quebec (OQ), recognition on the TIME 100 list, the Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award, and honorary doctorates from Bishop’s University and Université Laval. She earned her MD, C.M. at McGill University, completed pediatric specialty training at Université de Montréal/CHU Sainte-Justine, and trained in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at New York University School of Medicine (Bellevue Hospital Center), along with a master’s degree in health leadership at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management.