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Staying Power: A Celebration!

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Partners In Health Canada launched five years ago, following an outpouring of support from Canadians after the earthquake in Haiti. Today, with you by our side, we continue to fight the good fight for global health equity.

We hope you’ll join us at Arta Gallery on October 1st to celebrate our Staying Powerthe collective strength that keeps us committed to accompanying the people and communities we serve for the long term.


To our delight, Dr. Joia Mukherjee, Chief Medical Officer for Partners In Health, will be joining us. Last week, PIH Canada Director Mark Brender had a Skype chat with Joia, who happily agreed to answer 13 impromptu questions about everything from her work to her favourite Pete Seeger song, and shared with us what “staying power” means to her.

[1:22:22 PM] Mark: Hi Joia, thanks for doing this. It should be pretty simple. I’ll type a word or a phrase, you type your answer or whatever comes to mind
[1:22:30 PM] Joia: Great….ready.

13 questions with Dr. Joia Mukherjee

#1: ‘If I weren’t a doctor I’d be…’
[1:24:22 PM] Joia: a singer
[1:24:31 PM] Joia: or a human rights lawyer
[1:24:34 PM] Joia: or both
[1:24:47 PM] Mark: a singing human rights lawyer. sounds brilliant.

#2: Pete Seeger’s best song
[1:25:07 PM] Joia: big muddy
[1:25:20 PM] Joia: the idiocy of war (that’s what big muddy is about)
[1:26:03 PM] Mark: you should tell the story behind it sometime, for those of us who should know but don’t.

#3: Acronym I use the most
[1:26:42 PM] Joia: these days UHC … universal health coverage
[1:26:59 PM] Mark: We love that in Canada.
[1:27:07 PM] Joia: zackly

Staying Power: A celebratory fundraiser for PIH Canada

Click to download pdf.

#4: Social justice or social work
[1:27:12 PM] Joia: justice

#5: Clinic or community
[1:28:08 PM] Joia: community

#6: Stuck in a trench with Donald Trump or Donald Duck
[1:28:47 PM] Joia: Duck
[1:29:03 PM] Joia: …duck, goose
[1:29:23 PM] Mark: we’re it! A wise choice.

#7: I get mad when I see…..
[1:29:42 PM] Joia: scarcity
[1:29:52 PM] Joia: suffering
[1:29:54 PM] Joia: poverty
[1:29:57 PM] Joia: untreated TB

#8: I have hope when I see…
[1:33:26 PM] Joia: people working together toward the common good and to lessen suffering…
[1:33:35 PM] Joia: …and telling jokes in the process!! : )
[1:33:45 PM] Mark: Love it.

#9: My third best language
[1:36:22 PM] Joia: my third best language is Spanish, fourth is French (sorry Quebecois!)

#10: Favourite children’s book
[1:36:54 PM] Joia: is your mama a llama
[1:37:04 PM] Joia: but I would like to change it to ‘is your mommy a commie’
[1:37:15 PM] Mark: !!!!

#11: Most remote PIH clinic I’ve ever been to
[1:37:59 PM] Joia: Lebakang, Lesotho
[1:38:03 PM] Joia: no road

#12: Best looking Canadian
[1:40:28 PM] Joia: Mark Brender
[1:40:33 PM] Joia: : )
[1:40:34 PM] Mark: no, try again.
[1:40:52 PM] Joia: Naomi Klein
[1:40:54 PM] Joia: INSIDE (is what’s important)
[1:40:59 PM] Mark: ok, that counts. And the last…

#13: Why I’ve got staying power
[1:41:25 PM] Joia: because I am motivated by love
[1:43:05 PM] Joia: as che guevara said, “the true revolutionary is motivated by love”


Dr. Mukherjee is an internist, paediatrician and infectious disease specialist and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and has been supporting PIH’s efforts to provide high quality, comprehensive health care to the poorest and most vulnerable in partnership with local communities and health officials since 2000.

Dr. Mukherjee’s clinical focus in resource-poor settings has been HIV/AIDS, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, mental health and most recently, Ebola. She is involved in the direct implementation of health programs and disease specific initiatives across PIH’s 10 focus countries, as well as research and the generation of new knowledge in these arenas. She consults for the World Health Organization and other international agencies on health systems strengthening, human resources for health, the treatment for HIV, Hepatitis C and the control of drug resistant tuberculosis.


A huge thank you to everyone who is helping to contribute to the success of the evening through our silent auction, including: Beau’s BreweryTABOO Muskoka, The Black Hoof, the Art Galley of OntarioNicole Tarasick, Nuvango, Arkells, Arcade Fire, and the National Hockey League Players’ Association.

If you have any questions about Partners In Health Canada or Staying Power, please send a note to pihcanada@pih.org.


Every person, no matter who they are or where they’re from, deserves the best health care we know how to offer.

Join us in building a more just and equitable world by making a gift today.

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