Dr. Steven K. H. Aung is a geriatric, family, and integrative medicine physician, and a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner and teacher. At the University of Alberta, Dr. Aung is a Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. He is also a Visiting Professor to universities in China, Japan, the United States, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand. Dr. Aung is a Vice Chair (North America) of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, based in Beijing. He is also a World Health Organization advisor and consultant on TCM, acupuncture, and cancer pain control. Dr. Aung was awarded a Professional Excellency from the Académie Diplomatique de la Paix in 1986, the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2002, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003, the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, a Physician of the Century Award in 2005, and Canada’s highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada, in 2006. Dr. Aung has lectured internationally, and published many articles, books, and treatises on the integration of TCM and Western health care, and continues to offer his own practice in the spirit of a natural and compassionate approach to medicine.

You can learn more about Dr. Aung, including information about upcoming events Dr. Aung is facilitating, by visiting his official website.

The Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C., is an author, parliamentarian and diplomat, who has specialized throughout his 40-year public career in peace and human security issues.  He lectures widely on peace and nuclear disarmament themes.

Mr. Roche was a Senator, Member of Parliament, Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament, and Visiting Professor at the University of Alberta.  He was elected Chairman of the United Nations Disarmament Committee at the 43rd General Assembly in 1988.

Mr. Roche was the founding Chairman of the Middle Powers Initiative, an international network of eight non-governmental organizations working for the elimination of nuclear weapons. In 2010, the City of Hiroshima named him an Honourary Citizen for his nuclear disarmament work and particularly for founding the Middle Powers Initiative.

The author of 20 books, his latest is How We Stopped Loving the Bomb (Lorimer, 2011).  His Memoirs, Creative Dissent:  A Politician’s Struggle for Peace, was published by Novalis in 2008.  A previous book, The Human Right to Peace (Novalis, 2003), was the Canadian Book Review Annual Editor’s Choice scholarly selection for July-August 2005.  He has contributed chapters to 20 additional books.

Mr. Roche holds nine honourary doctorates from Canadian and American universities and has received numerous awards for his work for peace and non-violence, including the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation for World Peace Award (Canada) and the United Nations Association’s Medal of Honour.  In 1995, Pope John Paul II presented him with the Papal Medal for his service as Special Adviser on disarmament and security matters, and in 1998 the Holy See named him a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great.  He received the 2003 Peace Award of the Canadian Islamic Congress and the 2005 Luminosa Award for Unity from the Focolare Movement, North America.  In 2005, he was given Lifetime Achievement awards from both the Canadian Pugwash Group and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

In 2009, he received the Distinguished Service Award of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians for his “promotion of human welfare, human rights and parliamentary democracy in Canada and abroad.”  He is an Officer of the Order of Canada.  In 2011, the International Peace Bureau nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

To learn more about Doug Roche, you can visit his official website, or find him on Facebook.