(NEW YORK)— PEN America today called it “nothing short of shameful” that New York University Langone Health canceled a talk by a Canadian physician about humanitarian health crises, which referenced Gaza, Sudan and South Sudan and budget cuts to USAID. According to Dr. Joanne Liu, a pediatric emergency physician and professor at McGill University, her speech was canceled over concern that it “could be perceived as anti-government and antisemitic.” The talk had been planned for a year and at the time of the cancellation, Dr. Liu had already traveled from Montreal to New York City in anticipation of the event.
Kristen Shahverdian, PEN America’s program director for Campus Free Speech, said: “In a country that has long-prided itself as a bastion of free expression it is nothing short of shameful that a well-regarded doctor and humanitarian would have their speech canceled because of fear that the content would anger the highest levels of our government. We are incredibly alarmed by the last minute cancellation of Dr. Liu’s long-planned speech at NYU Langone Health. Colleges and universities must be places that support speech from a multitude of voices and perspectives. Without the free exchange of ideas, knowledge and experiences, the mission of higher education is in peril.”
Dr. Liu, an NYU graduate who is an emergency physician at Sainte-Justine hospital in Montreal, was informed on March 18 that her scheduled talk the next day on humanitarian health crises had been canceled. The former international president of Doctors Without Borders shared in an essay on March 27, that she offered to remove one of her slides that included a table showing that the Gaza Strip had one of the highest humanitarian casualties in 2024. According to Dr. Liu, after making that offer, she received a call three hours later from NYU officials that they were opting for outright cancellation instead.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, mmargolies@pen.org, 718-530-3582