Dr. Paul Farmer was born in Massachusetts on October 26, 1959 into a family of six. In 1982 Farmer graduated from Duke with a bachelor’s degree, and went on to receive an M.D. and Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard in 1990. In 1983, still a student, Farmer began a lifelong commitment to the country of Haiti while working with villages in Haiti’s central Plateau. His goal: to bring modern health care to the poorest of people.
In 1987 co-founded Partners In Health,
a charity organization that provides direct health care services and undertakes research on behalf of those who are sick and impoverished. Before setting up Partners In Health, Dr. Farmer also helped set up Zanmi Lasante, which started as a one-building clinic in the village of Canage. It has now grown into a multiservice health complex that includes a school, an infirmary, a surgical wing, a training program for health outreach workers, a 104 bed hospital, a women’s clinic, and a pediatric department.
Dr. Farmer is an obvious example of faith. He gave up his own time, money, and mind to benefit the impoverished people of Haiti. He surrounded himself with sickness, disease, and despair, but he did it so that he would be able to help these people overcome all of those things. There is no doubt that Dr. Paul Farmer has faith, and thank God he does because he has affected the lives of thousands that no doubt would not of survived without this man’s will to help others with his undeniable faith.
Dr. Farmer has received world wide praise for his work. Author Tracy Kidder wrote a best selling book about him and his work: Mountains Beyond Mountains: the Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World. Farmer has also received numerous awards. Perhaps the most impressive award one by Farmer is the Heinz Award for the Human Condition. Teresa Heinz, chairman of the Heinz Family Foundation was quoted describing Farmer, “Dr. Farmer and his extraordinary organization have been a force in making the world confront the health care needs of those who historically never had access to proper care. Because of his dedication and compassion, critical health care services are now being administered around the globe to people who previously would have been left untreated." Dr. Farmer is someone of great faith and his work continues to affect and inspire people worldwide.
Sources Consulted:
Americans Who Tell the Truth: Dr. Paul Farmer Biography. Date Accessed: 11/8/08
href=http://www.brighamandwomens.org/socialmedicine/aboutfarmer.aspx/>Cleveland, Sarah. Social Medicine and Health Inequalities. Date Accessed: 11/8/08
href=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1472188/>The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer. Date Accessed: 11/5/08