Inspiring Interview with Dr. Paul Farmer in The Harvard Gazette
Posted on May 23, 2018
Photo by Rebecca E. Rollins / Partners In Health
To coincide with the class of 2018’s graduation this month, the official news outlet for the university spoke with Professor and Partners in Health Co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer. After a flattering introduction, the interviewer got right to it.
Q: Do you still love what you do?
A: Oh yeah, more than ever. I love the work I get to do and the chance to see patients in radically different settings. Some people would find the travel part of it unsettling. I just came back from Delhi, Mumbai, and West Africa via Texas. It was great to talk to college students in Texas, where I was predictably asked, “How do you avoid burnout?”
Q: It’s a good question.
A: The students always ask it. I said, “You know, I compare myself to my classmates from med school, Class of ’88. I’m at less risk than any of them for burning out.”
You’ve got to do what you really like. I’d like to see all of my own students here be happy and productive, and know from teaching here and elsewhere that this requires a great diversity of opportunities and experience.
The rest of Farmer’s humble, candid, and uplifting interview can be read here.
