TRUSU Common Voices Lecture with Dr. Gabor Maté
Join the TRU Students’ Union for a captivating evening with Dr. Gabor Maté, renowned physician, bestselling author and leading voice on trauma, addiction and human development at our Annual Common Voices Lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.
The Hungry Ghost: A Biophysical Perspective on Addiction, from Heroin to Workaholism
Discover hidden pathways through which trauma and stress imprint themselves on the mind and body, reshaping behaviour across lifetimes. Through vivid stories and surprising scientific insights, the lecture will uncover how our earliest environments shape us. The talk will invite you to restructure your conventional narratives towards addiction and mental health to adopt a more humane path towards collective healing.
Registration and entry instructions:
- Free event and open to everyone
- Reservations are limited to one per person (online or in-person).
- Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
- Registered participants must arrive by 6:45 p.m.
- Admission after 6:45 p.m. is open to anyone until we are full
Reservations open on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 9 a.m.
This activity of the TRU Student Union is accommodation friendly.
Please contact Parth Patel at [email protected] to request specific accommodations by Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026.
More about Dr. Gabor Maté
Dr. Gabor Maté (pronounced GAH-bor MAH-tay) is a retired physician who, after 20 years in family practice and palliative care, spent more than a decade working in Vancouver’s Downtown east side with patients challenged by severe addiction and mental illness. He is the bestselling author of five books published in 43 languages, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, and most recently, the New York Times and international bestseller The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture. His next book, co-written with his son Daniel — Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents and their Adult Children — builds on their widely attended workshop of the same name.
An internationally renowned speaker, Dr. Maté is highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development and the relationship of stress and illness. For his groundbreaking work and writing, he has been honoured with the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian distinction, as well as the Civic Merit Award from his hometown of Vancouver.
For more on his books, events and the film about his life’s work (The Wisdom of Trauma), please visit www.drgabormate.com