Joan Cerio welcomes Dr. Helen Caldicott who shares with us her knowledge of how nuclear weapons, nuclear disasters such as Fukushima, and global warming are threatening the existence of our planet.
The single most articulate and passionate advocate of citizen action to remedy the nuclear and environmental crises, Dr. Helen Caldicott, has devoted the last 42 years to an international campaign to educate the public about the medical hazards of the nuclear age and the necessary changes in human behavior to stop environmental destruction.
Dr. Caldicott received her medical degree from the University of Adelaide Medical School in South Australia in 1961. She founded the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic at the Adelaide's Children's Hospital and subsequently was an instructor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
While living in the US, she was the president of Physicians for Social Responsibility. She also helped start similar medical organizations in many other countries. One of these groups, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. She also founded the Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament.
Dr. Caldicott has received many prizes and awards for her work, including the Lannan Foundation's 2003 Prize for Cultural Freedom and 21 honorary doctoral degrees. She was personally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Linus Pauling, himself a Nobel Laureate. The Smithsonian has named Dr. Caldicott as one of the most influential women of the 20th Century. She has written for numerous publications and has authored seven books.
She has also been the subject of several films, including the documentary If You Love This Planet, which won the Academy Award for best documentary in 1982.
Dr. Caldicott is the President of The Helen CaldicottFoundation/NuclearFreePlanet.org. Her website is https://HelenCaldicott.com.