Samantha Nutt

Founder, War Child Canada

One of 25 Transformational Canadians (As Named By The Globe & Mail)

Samantha Nutt is an award-winning humanitarian, bestselling author and acclaimed public speaker. A medical doctor and a founder of the renowned international humanitarian organization War Child, Dr. Nutt has worked with children and their families at the frontline of many of the world’s major crises – from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone to Darfur, Sudan.  A leading authority on current affairs, war, international aid and foreign policy, Dr. Nutt is one of the most intrepid and recognized voices in the humanitarian arena and is amongst the most sought-after public speakers in North America.  With a career that has spanned more than two decades and dozens of conflict zones, her international work has benefited hundreds of thousands of war-affected children globally.

Dr. Nutt is a respected authority for many of North America’s leading media outlets. She is a regular foreign affairs panelist on the acclaimed news program, CBC TV NEWS “The National” with Peter Mansbridge. Nutt’s written work has been published by The Globe and Mail, The National Post, and The Huffington Post, among many others, and she has appeared in Time Magazine, Chatelaine Magazine, and More Magazine, and on CTV National News, Global TV News, and BBC World News Service, to name a few.

Samantha Nutt graduated summa cum laude from McMaster University, earned an M.Sc in Public Health with distinction from the University of London and holds a Fellowship in Community Medicine (FRCPC) from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Dr. Nutt is the recipient of numerous honorary doctorates from universities in Canada and the U.S.A.

Dr. Nutt is a staff physician at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto.  She is the Founder of War Child Canada and U.S.A., is a Senior Fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto and is on the board of the David Suzuki Foundation.

When Women Lead

A popular choice for International Women’s Day and other events celebrating women’s leadership, this presentation combines humour and personal reflection in a discussion on women in the 21st century and why the women’s movement is unfinished everywhere. Nutt’s often satirical take on hot topics such as “Lean In” and whether “women can have it all” offers an engaging, thought-provoking and entertaining examination of the challenges women still face in the world and how women (and men) can advocate for change. This presentation is also suitable for businesses and other groups looking to promote diversity and strengthen gender equality at the senior management and executive levels, as well as on Boards.

When Local is Global

Our world is accelerating and our cultures are colliding, but not always for the better. Whether it is the terrible garment factory fires in Bangladesh, the diamonds on our fingers, the components in our cell phones, the profits in our pensions, or the environmental wreckage – such as the Gulf oil spill – associated with our energy needs, our interdependence means that we need to frame the questions differently. How do I get it cheaper, and faster and better, must also be accompanied by questions of how do we get it right? And answering that question is a lifelong pursuit.

In this 45 minute presentation, Nutt examines our obligations to the wider world: How do we impact on it, and how does it impact on us? What do we know, and what do we need to learn?

Global Health

Many health professionals and associations are engaged in “global health” work. But is this effective? And how can they really have an impact? In this compelling presentation, Nutt reflects on the twenty years she has spent advancing the cause of global health, the lessons she has learned, and the role that health practitioners can really play in promoting a healthier and safer world. This presentation is ideal for medical audiences, as well as hospitals, medical and nursing schools.

Conflicted? The World of War

This presentation takes a compelling look at the impact of war around the world–the truth, the lies, and the reality on the ground (what you won’t read in the headlines)–and what can be done about it. Dr. Nutt takes you on a journey to war zones around the world, telling personal stories of both triumph and hardship, and what one person can do to really make a difference.