OTTAWA, March 29, 2012 /CNW/ - A Vancouver surgeon who has assisted patients in more than a dozen countries worldwide has been awarded the 2012 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award. Dr. Robert H. Taylor, CM, FRCSC, is a clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) department of surgery and director of the Branch for International Surgery.
"Dr. Taylor has committed his life to improving health care worldwide, including in several conflict zones," says Royal College CEO Andrew Padmos, MD, FRCPC. "He is an extraordinary example of the selfless dedication this award is meant to highlight."
The Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award recognizes physicians who go above and beyond the norms of practice to provide health care and medical services worldwide. This award is a prestigious part of the Royal College Awards and Grants Program, which distributes $1 million a year through awards, grants, fellowships and visiting professorships.
Having trained at UBC and McGill University, Dr. Taylor has spent a third of his 42-year career applying his skills as a surgeon, teacher and medical advocate in low-resource settings worldwide.
Dr. Taylor's work literally spans the globe. He has provided disaster relief in Honduras and India, taught frontline medical workers in Zambia and Haiti, operated in Pakistan and the Congo, established a surgical education program in Guyana and treated patients in northern Sri Lanka and Côte d'Ivoire. Recently, he was deployed by the International Red Cross to teach a course in emergency room trauma care in the conflict region of Darfur.
Closer to home, he has founded UBC's Branch for International Surgery, which has grown to include more than 30 faculty members from five departments. He has also worked diligently to enhance the Canadian Association of General Surgeons' international presence, serving as the founding chair of their International Surgery Committee. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2010.
"I have always had a great belief that all people are created equal and that inequality is the circumstances in which we live," Dr. Taylor says. "If I'm in a position where I can do a tiny bit to address the inequality of access to care, then I want to do it."
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is the national, not-for-profit organization that oversees the medical education of specialists in Canada by setting high standards for postgraduate medical education and continuing professional development. In collaboration with health organizations and government agencies, the Royal College also plays a role in developing sound health policy in Canada.
Sandra Shearman,
Manager, Communications and External Relations
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613-730-8177 ext. 464, 1-800-668-3740 ext. 464
Tom McMillan,
Communications specialist, Communications and External Relations
[email protected]
613-730-8177 ext. 474, 1-800-668-3740 ext. 474
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