Farmer, Paul (1959–)

Dr. Paul Farmer is a medical anthropologist, a physician, and a professor of Medical Anthropology at Harvard University. Dr. Farmer is also a founding director of Partners in Health, an international organization that provides direct healthcare services, research, and advocacy for those who are sick and living in poverty in resource-poor areas. Dr. Farmer specializes in infectious disease control in resource-poor areas and has pioneered novel approaches to community-based strategies for infectious disease control, including HIV/AIDS and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. He has published numerous works capturing his experiences in Haiti and detailing his view of the socioeconomic factors of disease progression.

Dr. Farmer first worked in Haiti in 1983 before he began medical school at Harvard University. His work in Haiti is based upon a multifaceted approach to address the healthcare needs in Haiti and other resource-poor areas. Dr. Farmer fostered his deep commitment to work in Haiti to address healthcare issues and moved forward to found Partners in Health (PIH) in 1987. The mission statement of PIH is “whatever it takes” and captures Dr. Farmer's dedication to his work. Working with colleagues, Dr. Farmer created a model of community-based healthcare that provides healthcare, food, clean water, housing, education, and other social services. This PIH model is based upon his belief that illness is caused by various socioeconomic factors that renders a patient vulnerable to disease. PIH has initiated a model of community-based care that proved that infectious diseases could be successfully treated. PIH has since become a worldwide health and social justice organization. Dr. Farmer has moved forward with an agenda to develop a system of healthcare that will continue to reach millions of afflicted poor in Haiti, Peru, Russia, Mexico, Guatemala, Rwanda, and Boston's inner city.