We are delighted to invite you to join us for a special guest lecture on Thursday 10th January at Imperial College London which will be presented by Dr Tom Catena. For his eagerly anticipated talk, Dr Catena will discuss: “How to Run a Hospital in a Warzone: Localising Humanitarian Action.”
The event is open to all and free of charge and places will be reserved on a first come, first serve basis so please register to avoid disappointment.
Dr. Tom Catena, Chair of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, is an American surgeon and missionary, founder of the Mother Mercy Hospital in Sudan’s war-ravaged Nuba mountains. Having set up the Mother of Mercy Catholic Hospital in 2008, he is the only surgeon permanently based in a region the size of Austria and regularly treats up to 400 people a day.
First a recipient of the $1.1 million Aurora Prize for his humanitarian work and now Chair of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Dr Catena will address the challenges of running a hospital in a war-torn region and speak of the importance of empowering people on the ground to make decisions about the allocation of aid – as Aurora does through the Aurora Prize, allowing its recipients to allocate $1 million to organisations of their choice. Dr Catena’s lecture will examine how well the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit’s “Grand Bargain” strategy is being implemented and speak about his on-the-ground experience of the “localisation” of humanitarian action.
Dr Catena will also present the impact of the Aurora Humanitarian Foundation’s work in this context based on his own personal experience. Aurora was founded by three Armenians on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian genocide to honour the selfless actions of their saviours, Aurora works to inspire people around the world to emulate the saviours of the Armenian genocide and take action to uplift others in lesser circumstances.
Biography
Dr. Tom Catena, Chair, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative
Tom Catena, MD is a surgeon, veteran, catholic missionary, globally-recognized humanitarian, and inaugural Chair of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.
In his role as Aurora Chair, Dr. Catena engages with politicians, humanitarian organizations, practitioners, and everyday people around the world to spread the message of Gratitude in Action.