Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles 2009 Gala Dinner

PSR-LA is proud to honor Sandra Steingraber with our 2009 Environmental Health Champion award. Ecologist, author, and cancer survivor, Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert on the environmental links to cancer and human health. Steingraber’s highly acclaimed book, Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment presents cancer as a human rights issue. It was the first to bring together data on toxic releases with newly released data from U.S. cancer registries. Living Downstream won praise from international media, including The Washington Post, the Nation, The Chicago Tribune, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, The Lancet, and The London Times. A documentary based on the book will debut in 2010. PSR-LA is proud to honor Dr. Jose Quiroga with our 2009 Socially Responsible Medicine Award. Dr. Quiroga, a cardiologist, is a co-founder and director of medical services at the Program for Torture Victims (PTV). He serves on the board of PSR National and PSR-LA. He also serves as a vice-president of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT). Dr. Quiroga worked as a personal physician to a Chilean president, Salvador Allende, before fleeing Chile after the coup d'état t in 1973. On September 11, 1973, CIA-backed Chilean military army, led by General Augusto Pinochet, launched a coup against the democratically elected Unidad Popular Government of Salvador Allende. A team of doctors including José Quiroga and a few officials were the only ones to stay with the president at the palace La Moneda. Pinochet’s army came with came with tanks, rockets and machine guns to attack the palace and overthrow President Allende. While the palace was engulfed in flames, President Allende finally surrendered and then took his own life. Dr. Quiroga and other survivors in La Moneda were captured by the soldiers. Although two of his ribs were fractured, Dr. Quiroga, along with other doctors, was released immediately while others, the officials and supporters of President Allende, were killed.

» View the original video «

Blip | June 16, 2009

Tags:. .machine. .survivors. .downstream. .captured. .ones