Remembering Dr. Paul Farmer

Partners In Health announced that its founder, Dr. Paul Farmer, unexpectedly passed away today in Rwanda from an acute cardiac event while he was sleeping. 

Dr. Farmer was 62 years old. He is survived by his wife, Didi Bertrand Farmer, and their three children.

Partners In Health CEO Dr. Sheila Davis released the following statement:

“Paul Farmer’s loss is devastating, but his vision for the world will live on through Partners in Health. Paul taught all those around him the power of accompaniment, love for one another, and solidarity. Our deepest sympathies are with his family.”

About Dr. Paul Farmer

Paul Farmer, M.D., Ph.D., was Kolokotrones University Professor and chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, co-founder and chief strategist of Partners In Health, and chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda.

Dr. Farmer and his colleagues pioneered novel, community-based treatment strategies that demonstrate the delivery of high-quality health care in resource-poor settings. He wrote extensively on health, human rights, and the consequences of social inequality. Dr. Farmer was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, from which he was the recipient of the 2018 Public Welfare Medal.

He authored multiple books, including: In the Company of the Poor: Conversations with Dr. Paul Farmer and Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez, Reimagining Global Health: An Introduction, and To Repair the World: Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation. His most recent book was released in November 2020: Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds: Ebola and the Ravages of History.

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