ATLANTA -- They might not be at the podium when the award is formally presented, but in a large way, Drs. Susan Goldstein and Suzanne Cotter shared in the Nobel Peace Prize announced Friday.
Both doctors work at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, and both are among the thousands of physicians who have volunteered for Doctors Without Borders, the French-based medical relief group that won the prize.Ten idealistic and somewhat brash young doctors from France started the organization in 1971. Today, thanks to volunteers like Goldstein and Cotter, Doctors Without Borders provides medical assistance in more than 80 countries. In all, about 2,000 physicians and medical personnel from 45 countries are working with the organization. Projects include performing surgery on gunshot victims in Sierra Leone, improving sanitation in East Timor, providing anesthesia in Kosovo and striving to prevent cholera in Nigeria.
The staff and volunteers are famous for working with little regard for their personal safety. The organization -- which is also known by its French name, Medecins Sans Frontieres -- has taken risks as well, defying governments that hinder humanitarian efforts.
In following that committed path, Doctors Without Borders "has adhered to the fundamental principle that all disaster victims, whether the disaster is natural or human in origin, have a right to professional assistance," the Nobel committee said, announcing its decision in Oslo, Norway.
The award confirms "the fundamental right of ordinary people" to medical care and protection, said Dr. James Orbinski, president of Doctors Without Borders. He quickly added that the honor goes to many people, especially donors and "each of our volunteers and national staff who every day ensure that the right to humanitarian assistance remains a reality."
Offered congratulations for her share in that recognition, the CDC's Goldstein laughed. She said her mother called to wake her up Friday morning with news that the group had won.