The Graduate Student Council and the Caltech Y Social Activism Speaker Series present DR. HATIM KANAANEH Medical Doctor, Author and Activist A Doctor in Galilee: The Life and Struggle of a Palestinian in Israel 7:30 PM, Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 Noyes 153 Auditorium, (Bldg 72)

** Reception after event sponsored by the GSC & SASS **

Join us for an evening with Dr. Hatim Kanaaneh, the author of A Doctor in Galilee: The Life and struggle of a Palestinian in Israel, whose memoir recounts his 35 year struggle as a doctor and grass roots activist to bring medical care to Palestinians in Galilee.

Born and raised in a small village in the Galilee, Kanaaneh left his native country to study medicine at Harvard University. In 1970, having completed his medical and public health degrees and after declining several lucrative offers to practice in the US, he returned to Galilee to become a Public Health Doctor. Frustrated by the lack of access to health care and what he perceived as a lack of support, Dr. Kanaaneh left Galilee once again only to return for a second time driven by a passion to help his community. After doing all he could for his patients by working from inside the system, Dr. Kanaaneh founded the Galilee Society, an NGO working for equitable health, environmental and socio-economic conditions for Palestinian Arabs in Israel.

Dr. Kanaaneh’s book provides a unique perspective of health care and living conditions for minorities within Israel. As described by Desmond M. Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus, the book is: “A moving account of the plight of the Palestinians by one of them: a physician struggling to alleviate his people's lot.”

Dr. Kanaaneh will read some brief excerpts from his book, followed by a moderated discussion of healthcare and its role in bringing peace to this conflicted region.

For more information, visit his blog at: http://a-doctor-in-galilee.blogspot.com/