Paul Farmer

Paul Edward Farmer (October 26, 1959 – February 21, 2022) was a distinguished American physician and medical anthropologist, celebrated for his groundbreaking contributions to global health. Holding both an MD and PhD from Harvard University, he served as a University Professor and chaired the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Farmer was a co-founder and the chief strategist of Partners In Health (PIH), an influential non-profit organization established in 1987 that focuses on delivering health care and advocating for the impoverished and underserved.

Throughout his career, Farmer and his team developed innovative community-based health care strategies that successfully provided quality medical services in resource-limited settings, both in the United States and internationally. Their impactful research has been published in prestigious journals, including The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine, highlighting the critical intersection of health and social equity.

A prolific writer, Farmer explored themes of health rights and the influence of social disparities on infectious disease outcomes, championing the idea of community health works and decentralized care models. His life and mission were poignantly captured in Tracy Kidder’s book, *Mountains Beyond Mountains*, which dubbed him “the man who would cure the world.” In recognition of his humanitarian efforts, Farmer received the Peace Abbey Foundation Courage of Conscience Award in 2007 and was named an Aurora Humanitarian in 2021. He passed away from a heart attack in 2022, leaving a profound legacy in global health advocacy.