Robert Taylor, Clinical Professor in the Department of Surgery, received the Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, in recognition of his altruism, integrity, courage and perseverance in providing health care.
Dr. Taylor, also the Director of the Branch for International Surgery at UBC, has dedicated a significant part of his 38-year-career to surgical care in underserved populations of the world. Between 1971 and 2008, he undertook short- and long-term assignments in countries on nearly every continent of the world.
Among his efforts: he pioneered a mobile houseboat clinic to bring medical/nursing care to indigenous peoples who lived along the rivers of Bolivia; evaluated an acute care and education program at four district hospitals in India; and facilitated the establishment of a postgraduate program in basic surgery at the University of Guyana. Several of his assignments have been in conflict zones including working for the International Red Cross in Sri Lanka and Cote d’Ivoire in surgical service, surgical training and infrastructure capacity building.
In 2010, Dr. Taylor was appointed to the Order of Canada for his humanitarian contributions to improving medical services and surgical care in the developing world.
The Royal College Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award acknowledges and celebrates Canadian physicians who, while providing health care or emergency medical services, go beyond the accepted norms of routine practice, which may include exposure to personal risk.