Paul Farmer
Born 1959 · Age 66
American medical anthropologist, infectious-disease physician, co-founder and chief strategist of Partners In Health, Harvard University Professor and global health leader who pioneered community-based care in resource-poor settings.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in North Adams, Massachusetts
Paul Edward Farmer born to a family of six children; later raised in Alabama and Florida.
Family moved to Birmingham, Alabama
At about age seven, Farmer's father moved the family to Birmingham.
Family moved to Brooksville, Florida
Family relocated to Brooksville; lived at times in a converted school bus and later on a houseboat in the Gulf of Mexico.
Graduated Hernando High School; class president
Elected president of his senior class at Hernando High School in Brooksville, Florida.
Matriculated at Duke University (Benjamin N. Duke Scholar)
Entered Duke University on a Benjamin N. Duke Scholarship to study medical anthropology.
Studied in Paris for half a year
Spent roughly six months in Paris while at Duke, becoming fluent in French.
Postgraduate fellowship at University of Pittsburgh (brief)
Completed a brief postgraduate fellowship after Duke before going to Haiti and Harvard.
Graduated Duke University BA, summa cum laude
Received a Bachelor of Arts in medical anthropology, summa cum laude.
First long-term volunteer work in Cange, Haiti
Began volunteering at a hospital in Cange in Haiti's Central Plateau; learned Creole and began community work that shaped his career.
Enrolled in Harvard MD–PhD program
Entered Harvard Medical School's joint MD and PhD in medical anthropology program; continued to work in Haiti while enrolled.
Secured Project Bread funding for bakery in Cange
Obtained funding to build a bakery in Cange to address chronic malnutrition and provide local food resources.
Opened Clinique Bon Saveur in Cange
With local partners and Ophelia Dahl, opened a two-room clinic in Cange (Zanmi Lasante project beginnings).
Tom White seed donation to PIH
Tom White provided initial seed funding (reported ~$1,000,000) to support early PIH work.
Co-founded Partners In Health (PIH)
Co-founded PIH in Boston with Jim Yong Kim, Ophelia Dahl, Todd McCormack and Thomas J. White to support community-based care in Haiti and beyond.
Earned MD and PhD from Harvard
Completed both medical degree and PhD in medical anthropology from Harvard University.
Published 'AIDS and Accusation: Haiti and the Geography of Blame'
Seminal book connecting social context and the emergence and management of AIDS in Haiti.
Founded Institute for Health and Social Justice (using MacArthur funds)
Launched PIH's research program (Institute for Health and Social Justice) funded in part by MacArthur grant donation.
Completed internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital
Finished residency training in internal medicine; began clinical-attending roles and Boston-based programs.
Received MacArthur 'Genius' Fellowship
Awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (reported ~$220,000); Farmer donated the award to start PIH's Institute for Health and Social Justice.
Published 'The Uses of Haiti'
Published book analyzing Haiti's political economy and foreign interventions.
Co-founded Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) — (approx.)
Farmer listed as a co-founder and board member of IJDH which advocates for Haitian democracy and legal accountability (founding year approximated).
Married Didi Bertrand
Married Haitian medical anthropologist and community health specialist Didi Bertrand (spouse since 1996); they later had three children.
Completed infectious disease fellowship
Finished infectious-disease fellowship training and became board-certified in infectious disease and internal medicine.
WHO designated Farmer to lead MDR-TB program efforts
World Health Organization designated Farmer (with Jim Yong Kim) to facilitate global multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment programs.
Published 'Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues'
Major book exploring social drivers of infectious disease and health disparities.
Launched MDR-TB drug-therapy initiatives (Gates funding reported)
Using large philanthropic funding (report cites a $44.7M Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant tied to MDR-TB initiatives), Farmer rolled out drug-therapy initiatives in Haiti, Peru, and Russia.
Achieved reduced mother-to-child HIV transmission in Cange (~4%)
Zanmi Lasante's programs decreased HIV transmission from mothers to babies to about 4% in its catchment.
PIH exported MDR-TB treatment model to Peru and Russia
Following success in Haiti, Farmer and colleagues implemented community-based MDR-TB programs in Peru and Siberia/Russia with high cure rates.
Began various advisory and board roles (GlobeMed, UAEM, EqualHealth, Kageno, Incentives for Global Health) — (approx.)
Served on boards and advisory councils for multiple global health and justice organizations (dates approximate across 2000s).
Outstanding International Physician (Nathan Davis Award)
Awarded the American Medical Association's Outstanding International Physician Award.
PIH awarded Global Fund grant for Cange (~$13M)
PIH received an approximately $13 million grant from the Global Fund to improve the Cange complex and services.
Tracy Kidder's 'Mountains Beyond Mountains' published
Pulitzer Prize–winning author Tracy Kidder published the biography chronicling Farmer and Partners In Health, raising Farmer's public profile.
Published 'Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor'
Influential book on structural violence, health, and human rights.
Zanmi Lasante expanded to full hospital and nursing school
Cange operation grew into a complete hospital with nursing school, operating rooms, blood bank and satellite communications.
Partners In Health awarded Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize
PIH received the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize (organization-level award; prize historically $1M).
Clinton Foundation funded PIH Rwanda AIDS program
William J. Clinton Foundation provided funding for Partners In Health AIDS work in Rwanda.
PIH recognized with Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award
PIH (and Farmer) received the Peace Abbey Foundation Courage of Conscience Award for free health care to the world's poorest communities.
Honorary degree, Princeton University
Received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Princeton University.
Honorary Doctor of Science, Emory University
Received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Emory University.
Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
Received the Golden Plate Award presented by Archbishop Desmond Tutu at an awards ceremony in Cape Town.
Named Chair, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Succeeded Jim Yong Kim as Chair of HMS Department of Global Health and Social Medicine (May 2009).
Named United Nations Deputy Special Envoy to Haiti
Appointed UN Deputy Special Envoy to Haiti, serving under UN Special Envoy Bill Clinton.
Published 'Partner to the Poor: A Paul Farmer Reader' (editor)
Collection of Farmer's writings and essays on global health and social medicine.
Named University Professor, Harvard University
Named University Professor — the highest faculty honor at Harvard University (announced Dec 17, 2010).
Published 'Haiti After the Earthquake' (editor)
Edited and published a volume addressing the 2010 Haiti earthquake and reconstruction.
Named to Foreign Policy's list of top global thinkers
Recognized by Foreign Policy magazine among top global thinkers for that year.
Appointed UN Special Adviser for Community-Based Medicine and Lessons from Haiti
Named UN Special Adviser to the Secretary-General (December 2012) on community-based medicine and lessons from Haiti.
Published 'To Repair the World' and 'Reimagining Global Health' (co-authored/edited)
Released multiple books on global health, social medicine, and Paul Farmer's perspectives.
Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais opened
PIH-supported tertiary care hospital in Haiti opened, providing oncology, trauma surgery and specialty services.
Responded to West Africa Ebola outbreak; first visited outbreak site
Traveled to West Africa to help tackle the Ebola epidemic and advocated for investment in health systems.
Received Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Entrepreneurship
Forbes honored Farmer for lifetime achievement in social entrepreneurship.
Launched University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) initiative
PIH initiative to establish UGHE in Rwanda focused on training health professionals with equity-driven curricula.
Bronislaw Malinowski Award, Society for Applied Anthropology
Awarded for contributions to applied anthropology and public health.
Documentary 'Bending the Arc' released
Film telling the story of PIH, Farmer, Jim Yong Kim and Ophelia Dahl and their work in Haiti and globally.
Awarded Public Welfare Medal (National Academy of Sciences)
Received the National Academy of Sciences' Public Welfare Medal in recognition of contributions to public welfare.
Elected to the American Philosophical Society
Recognized by election to the American Philosophical Society for contributions to scholarship and public life.
UGHE accepted first class at Butaro campus
University of Global Health Equity's Butaro campus accepted its first class of medical students (UGHE first class started 2019).
Awarded Rwanda National Order of Outstanding Friendship (Igihango)
Recognized by Rwandan President Paul Kagame with the nation's highest honor for extraordinary service to Rwanda.
Worked on COVID-19 contact tracing program in Massachusetts
Partnered with PIH to help design and implement contact-tracing programs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts.
Published 'Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds: Ebola and the Ravages of History'
Major 2020 book combining reportage, history, and advocacy focused on Ebola and systemic failures in West Africa.
Awarded the Berggruen Prize ($1,000,000)
Received the $1 million Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture for reshaping understanding of health as a human right.
Named Aurora Humanitarian
Recognized as an Aurora Humanitarian in recognition of his work with Partners In Health.
WHO Director-General’s Global Health Leaders Award (posthumous)
Paul Farmer and others were recognized posthumously by WHO for global health leadership.
Announced recipient of 2022 Inamori Ethics Prize
Selected to receive the 2022 Inamori Ethics Prize (announcement Jan 24, 2022).
PIH global footprint and legacy documented in 'Bending the Arc' and publications
Legacy captured in film and dozens of publications demonstrating scalable community-based care models worldwide.
Partners In Health scale at time of death (Haiti stats)
At the time of Farmer's death PIH operated 16 sites across Haiti with approximately 7,000 employees; Zanmi Lasante served a catchment ~150,000 in its region historically.
Died in Butaro, Rwanda (acute cardiac event)
Died in his sleep from an acute cardiac event while in Rwanda, where he had been teaching and working with UGHE and Butaro District Hospital.
Key Achievement Ages
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