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McGill Global Health Night
Join us for the 17th annual Global Health Night, one of McGill’s flagship events in global health. This year, we are honoured to welcome South Africa’s Zackie Achmat as our keynote speaker. As the first recipient of the Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity, Mr. Achmat will deliver the inaugural Paul Farmer Lecture for Global Health Equity.
Whether you attend in person or online, don’t miss this inspiring evening filled with global health insights, innovation, and community. Open to the public, the program includes a student poster fair, showcasing projects, clinical rotations, and research from across McGill’s diverse student body, Mr. Achmat’s lecture and more. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!
Zackie Achmat is a lifelong socialist and activist who began his political journey during the 1976 student uprisings against apartheid. Detained and tortured as a teenager, he was later recruited into the banned ANC while imprisoned and joined its Marxist Workers’ Tendency in 1985. Diagnosed with HIV in 1990, Zackie became a pioneering advocate for health and human rights. He co-founded the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality in 1994 and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in 1998, playing a key role in securing access to HIV treatment. He has worked with global organisations like Médecins Sans Frontières and the WHO, and helped found movements such as Equal Education, the Social Justice Coalition, Ndifuna Ukwazi, and #UniteBehind. These initiatives fight for justice, political accountability, and social equality. Most recently, he co-founded the Global Coalition for HIV Treatment to resist devastating PEPFAR cuts. His activism is rooted in justice, dignity, and freedom.
