Join us for the Institute of Global Health Innovation’s Special Lecture online or in person.

Please do register your in-person attendance by clicking the ‘Register Now’ button on the left-hand side of the page. Joining online? You can watch the lecture live on YouTube from 17:00.

Summary

Dr Christos Christou, surgeon and humanitarian leader, will discuss how medicine, leadership and politics intersect in real humanitarian settings. Dr Christou will share what he has learnt from years of clinical and operational work with Médecins Sans Frontières, and where he sees opportunities for academic institutions to contribute to humanitarian medicine.

Programme

The evening will feature:

Professor the Lord Ara Darzi, Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation, delivering the welcome remarks.

Dr Christos Christou, surgeon and humanitarian leader, delivering the main lecture.

Professor Mary Ryan, Vice-Provost for Research and Enterprise at Imperial College London, moderating a fireside conversation with Dr Christou, followed by an audience Q&A.

Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, delivering the closing remarks.

Drinks reception – Following the lecture, in-person attendees are invited to continue the conversation and connect with fellow guests over drinks.

About the speaker

Dr Christos Christou is a surgeon and humanitarian leader and former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a role he held from 2019 to 2025.

Dr Christou’s career is dedicated to equitable access to care. His career includes leading Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) through multiple humanitarian crises, including Ebola and COVID-19. He is also a visiting professor at Harvard.

In 2025, he was one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in philanthropy.

About the Institute of Global Health Innovation

The Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) is one of Imperial College London’s global challenge institutes. We empower people to transform health and care.

Our work is made possible through our seven Centres of Excellence that innovate across medicine, policy, technology and design. Our Centres collaborate to share knowledge, skills and expertise so that we can solve bigger problems and accelerate progress in healthcare.

The IGHI is led by Professor the Lord Ara Darzi.