The Loss That Gave Her More to Give

“Badass.” That’s how Dr. Joanne Liu described herself at the launch of her book, Ebola, Bombs and Migrants. The word usually brings to mind someone fearless, someone who keeps going when told no. Yet one of the most candid moments of the afternoon came when Liu spoke about losing. She recalled how much emphasis people had placed on winning when she was younger. What she wished someone had explained was how to pick herself up when things fell apart.

From Montréal to Mali

At 18, Liu stayed with a family in Mali. As she recalled at the launch, the experience gave her a clear idea of what she wanted to do. She wanted to become a doctor, and she wanted to return to Mali. That stay in Mali set the course for Liu’s life as a doctor, bringing her to places where getting care could mean the difference between life and death.

Even after years of working through humanitarian crises, Joanne Liu said she had never grown accustomed to death. Then she went a step further. None of us, she said, should ever get used to it. It was a quieter moment from the woman who had introduced herself as a “badass,” and it stayed with us. It is beyond difficult to imagine what it must take to keep working when someone has just died and another person still needs your help. In her telling, there was room for both the urgency of caring for the person still in front of her and the grief of losing the one who had been there moments before.

What losing taught her about leadership

In 2006, Joanne Liu ran for the international presidency of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and lost. Seven years later, she ran again and was elected. Looking back, Liu said she had more to give the organization in 2013 than she would have had the first time around. There was something in that reflection that sounded like advice to her younger self. On the day she lost, there was no way to know she would have another chance at the role she had worked toward. It took seven years and a second election for her to see how much more she could bring to the job. From where she stood in 2013, even the timing of that first defeat looked different. A setback can feel like the end of everything when it happens. Only later can you see what the intervening years gave you.

Liu also recalled a lesson from her mentor, Louise Arbour, now Canada’s 31st Governor General. It was a lesson Liu drew on as she worked to rally an international response to Ebola. Public service requires putting your ego aside, even when it takes a hit. Liu brought that principle down to the scale of one person trying to get medical care. For a migrant who needs treatment, the question is whether they can get it where they are, when they need it. For law students at the Observatoire, her example raises a practical question. What does it mean to represent someone if we lose sight of what they need from us right now?

Whose story is it to tell?

At the launch, Liu spoke about why she wanted to revisit the Ebola epidemic, attacks on hospitals, and the treatment of migrants. The events she writes about go back years, but the question she raised about them remains relevant. What happens to people who need care when security concerns dominate the decisions that shape their lives?

Liu compared her role in writing the book to standing behind a camera. She wanted to show what she had witnessed without speaking in place of the people whose experiences she was describing. That choice about how to tell a story echoes a harder decision she faced at MSF. When humanitarian teams witness harm, speaking publicly can draw attention to what is happening. It can also jeopardize their access to the people they came to care for. How do they decide when to speak?

Ebola: Decisions Under Uncertainty

Dr Joanne Liu explained that one of the most difficult parts in writing her book was when she discussed the passing of Dr. Khan, a physician who contracted Ebola while treating patients during the 2014 outbreak in Sierra Leone. At the time, an experimental antidote had been developed, however it had yet to be tested on humans. The medical team was then faced with a gut-wrenching question: should they administer a treatment that had not yet been sufficiently tested? Liu stated that this specific section of the book had to be rewritten multiple times considering its sensitive nature. Years later, this experience continues to demonstrate the impossible decisions some humanitarian workers must face when there is no clear answer.

When trying to mobilize the international community during the Ebola crisis she faced numerous other difficult decisions. Despite repeated warnings from Médecins Sans Frontières , the initial global response was insufficient. She described at that moment having learnt an important lesson regarding leadership; when people refuse to listen, change the whole narrative. And true to her word, she successfully did.

International Humanitarian Law

When questioned if she would rewrite international humanitarian law, Liu explained that she would not necessarily change anything. Considering the fact it was developed and strengthened in the aftermath of World War 2, the legal framework is already thorough. She questioned whether countries today could even reach the same level of agreement as it seems the collective memory that inspired these protections slowly fades.

For Liu, the main issue is not the absence of rules, it is the enforcement of them. She compared international humanitarian law to a highway without police officers, emphasizing that the effectiveness of these regulations is dependent on the consequences people face for not complying. She stressed the need for sanctions and reputational costs to guarantee accountability.

Ultimately, Liu’s words, “Never normalize death, but always fight for life,” encapsulates the mindset that guides her humanitarian work. For her, witnessing suffering should never lead to accepting it as normal, but rather strengthen our responsibility to take action.

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By Fatima Ibrahim et Dua Khan

Leaders at the Observatory on Human Rights at the UN