2024 Sterling Prize Ceremony and Lecture with Dr. Gabor Maté

Dr. Gabor Maté is the 2024 recipient of the Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy, in recognition of his work exploring the links between trauma and health and championing the concept of trauma-informed healing.

A retired family physician who worked for years treating addiction in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Maté has spent three decades espousing the mind-body connection and the links between past trauma and illness, including addiction.

Maté has written five books on trauma-informed healing and the relationship between trauma, addiction and mental illness. His work has been published in 43 different languages and his books have sold almost four million copies. He regularly goes on speaking tours, sharing his ideas with packed audiences around the world.

“From my perspective, my work is not in the least controversial,” says Maté. “I mean, when it comes to actual science. I talk about the fact that the mind and the body can't be separated, and that emotions have a huge role to play in health and illness.”

Thirty years in, his work continues to have impact. In addition to his sold-out speaking tours, he gets emails daily, thanking him for his work. The Globe and Mail’s Canadian non-fiction best seller list for Aug. 31, 2024, featured four of Mate’s books, including some that were published more than 20 years ago. His new book, “The Myth of Normal”, written with his son Daniel, spent 19 weeks on the New York Times best sellers list.

“What keeps me motivated is very simple,” says Maté, who admits that despite the popularity of his message, acceptance within the medical community is slow. “I just love looking for the truth, you know? Which doesn't mean I'm always right, but I just want to know what's going on.

“People need the truth. And, you know, if nobody ever paid attention, I might have given up a long time ago.”

The lecture will be followed by a reception, which all attendees are invited to join. This event is free and open to all.

Click here to read the SFU News story about Dr. Gabor Maté and this year's Sterling Prize!

The Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy was first awarded in 1993 and remains committed to recognizing work that provokes and contributes to the understanding of controversy, while presenting new ways of looking at the world and challenging complacency. The prize recognizes work across disciplines and departments and is awarded annually by the Sterling Prize committee.

Dr. David Zandvliet is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University and Director of the Institute for Environmental Learning. He has held additional appointments as an associate faculty member and teaching fellow in the Faculty of Environment (SFU) and is currently an associate member in the Faculty of Science (SFU). He was recently appointed to the newly established UNESCO Chair in Bio-cultural Diversity and Education, as well as the appotinted chair of the Sterling Prize Comittee.

Jane Pulkingham is a Professor of Sociology, currently serving as Senior Advisor (Academic Affairs) in the Office of the Provost and Vice President Academic at Simon Fraser University. From 2016 – 2021 she served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) at SFU. Previously, Pulkingham was Associate Dean (2013-2015) of FASS and served as Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 2003-2013. She completed her PhD in sociology and social policy at the University of Edinburgh.

As this event is free, and free events routinely have a high number of no-shows, it is our policy to overbook. In case of a full event, registration may not guarantee entry. Seating is limited and will be available to registered attendees on a first-come, first-served basis.

The event will be hosted at the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema at 149 West Hastings Street at SFU Woodwards (Vancouver campus).

The building is accessible at street level on the Hastings side or via a ramp on the Cordova Street Courtyard side. There are 2 ramp entry points, one is located against the building, near the entrance to the Woodward’s Westbank Atrium (which houses London Drugs and Nesters) and one is located against the building, beside the alley. Both the Hastings doors and the Cordova Courtyard doors can be operated by accessibility buttons located beside the doorways.

The building is accessible by several bus lines. Plan your trip with TransLink’s Trip Planner.

Metered street parking available and a number of parkades nearby.

Public bike racks are located near the Cordova entrance.

Public and gender-neutral washrooms are available. All public washrooms are equipped with wheelchair accessible stalls.

There will be ASL interpreters for in-person and online attendees. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding this event’s accessibility, feel free to connect with us at [email protected].

We are offering an online ticket option for those who wish to watch the livestream of this event. Closed captioning in English will be available through the online event.

Online attendees will need a computer (laptop or desktop), tablet or smartphone, with speakers or headphones. A microphone and/or a webcam are recommended if you would like to fully participate in the interactive portions of this event.

We recommend that you use a computer for the best experience of this event. Some interactivity and accessibility features are not available when using a smartphone or tablet.

This event will be recorded, but only the speakers will be visible in the published recording. The recording will be shared with all registrants and published on SFU Public Square’s website, YouTube and social media channels.

To ensure that we are using online event technology in a privacy-conscious way, we are following best practices for this online event series:

• We will only circulate the event link to those who are registered for the event

• We will password-protect the event

• We will enable end-to-end encryption

• We will not use attention tracking

To protect your own privacy:

• We remind you that whatever you say during the event is public, so please do not share sensitive information about yourself or others, and do not say anything you do not wish to enter the public domain.

To protect the privacy of others:

• Please do not record or photograph yourself, other participants, or the hosts during the event, unless permission is requested and given.

Our community guidelines are intended to ensure the safety of all guest speakers and event participants, and to foster honest, socially accountable dialogue at our events. Thank you for respecting our community guidelines!

• Above all, there will be zero tolerance for those who promote violence or discrimination against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, or disability. Anyone who incites harm towards other participants (whether through chat, video, audio or otherwise) will be removed at the discretion of our technical team and moderator.
• Don’t assume pronouns/gender/knowledge based on someone’s name or appearance. Please refer to people using the usernames and/or pronouns they provide.
• Take space, make space: share your perspective, and make space for other voices to be heard too. Recognize that we are all here to learn.
• Practice self-care in whatever way you need to. If you need to get up or take a break, please do so.

Event Venue

Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, SFU Woodwards, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, Canada