José Quiroga

On Tuesday, September 11, 1973, General Augusto Pinochet staged a brutal military coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende. Inside the government palace, Dr. Jose Quiroga, a cardiologist and Allende’s physician, watched as soldiers went from room to room attacking supporters of Allende. He was detained and beaten, but the general in charge ordered the release of all physicians.

In 1977, Quiroga moved his family to Santa Monica after securing a position at UCLA’s School of Public Health. “I lost my friends, my political life, my job, everything.” For the next twenty-five years, he volunteered to treat victims of torture— at UCLA and the Venice Family Clinic. In 1980, Quiroga co-founded the Program for Torture victims with psychologist Ana Deutsch, an Argentinean refugee. Dr. Quiroga has spoken about torture and treating survivors at conferences and universities worldwide.

Among other publications, he is co-author (with Roger Gurr) of a definitive and comprehensive study of the ongoing global work against torture: Approaches to torture rehabilitation: a desk study covering effects, cost-effectiveness, participation, and sustainability (2001) as well as politically-motivated torture and its survivors: a desk study review of the literature.

Dr. Quiroga serves on the Executive Committee and is Vice-President of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is also the treasurer of Physicians for Social Responsibility. Dr. Quiroga is the medical director of the Program for Torture Victims.