2010 - 2011: Solomon Benatar

Dr. Solomon R. Benatar

Dr Solomon Benatar delivered the 12th annual Visiting Lectureship in Human Rights on May 20, 2011 at Convocation Hall.

Read the transcript of Dr. Solomon Benatar's Lecture

About Dr. Solomon Benatar

Dr. Solomon R. Benatar is a leading global health expert who has published over 250 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters on topics ranging from respiratory medicine, academic freedom, medical ethics and the humanities in medicine, to human rights, health care systems, health economics and global health.

Benatar graduated from the University of Cape Town in 1965 and spending time in family practice he trained first in Anesthetics and then in Internal Medicine in Cape Town and London.

He has held several academic positions, including:

• Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Founding Director of the University of Cape Town's Bioethics Centre
• Professor of Medicine from 1980- 2007 and Chairman of the University of Cape Town's Department of Internal Medicine and Chief Physician at Groote Schuur Hospital from 1980-1999
• Chairman of the Interim National Health Research Ethics Committee in South Africa, and Past President of the International Association of Bioethics (2001-2003)
• Fellow in the Program in Ethics and the Professions at Harvard University
• Visiting Professorships at University College London Medical School, University of Toronto, Harvard Medical School
• Currently Director of a NIH (Fogarty International Center) funded program for capacity building in International Research Ethics in southern Africa (20003-2010)
• Recently appointed Professor in Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto

Dr. Solomon Benatar is a corresponding member of the US National Academy of Sciences' Committee on Human Rights, and a member of several multidisciplinary, international research groups. He has been an invited lecturer at medical schools around the world and has recently been an advisor to UNAIDS (Geneva) the HIV Trials Prevention Network (USA) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Holland).

He is also an elected Foreign Associate Member, U.S. National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, (1989), Honorary Foreign Member American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1996) and Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa (1997).