Paul Farmer, physician, activist, academic, humanitarian, and teacher died in Rwanda on February 21, 2022. Few people in the field of global health have had a bigger impact than him.
It is impossible to think about Paul without thinking about the word equity. 鈥淭he idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world,鈥� is a famous Paul Farmer quote. He pushed everyone to provide a 鈥榩referential option for the poor鈥� in health care. Paul inspired people around the world to choose a life of health activism in a world full of inequities.
鈥淒o we want global health, as is practiced from universities across the globe, to be radically different from colonial health or tropical medicine? If so, then let鈥檚 stop referring to it as 鈥済lobal public health鈥� or 鈥済lobal health security鈥� and start calling it 鈥済lobal health equity,鈥� he told the audience while delivering the Inaugural Dr Victor Dzau and Ruth Cooper-Dzau Distinguished Lecture at 不良研究所 on May 14, 2018.
Paul Farmer received an honorary doctorate at 不良研究所 in 2019 and was a friend of 不良研究所 for many years.
To honor Paul鈥檚 memory, the 不良研究所 School of Population and Global Health, with the approval of the Paul Farmer Legacy Trust, has created an award that will be given, on an annual basis, to an individual who models and demonstrates Paul鈥檚 vision of a 鈥榩referential option for the poor鈥� to achieve equity in health. In particular, the award will be used to honor front-line healthcare providers in under-served communities, especially in the Global South, since their work is often not recognized or made visible.
Through the Paul Farmer Lectureship and Award for Global Health Equity, we want to identify, honor, and promote champions who have dedicated their lives to achieving health equity in the most challenging circumstances. We want to honor people who have been bold enough to 鈥渃ounter failures of imagination鈥� and have lived a life of accompaniment. By modeling accompaniment himself, Paul taught us that our lives are in service to others. Thus, the award could also be given to someone who has mobilized others, helped build a local or national movement for health equity through their example of doing the work. We will actively seek nominations from the Global South and make sure English is not a barrier for nominations or lectures.