Global Health Pioneer Paul Farmer Dies

International well being pioneer and founding father of Companions in Well being Dr. Paul Farmer “unexpectedly handed away” Monday, the organization he co-founded confirmed.

Farmer, a famous doctor and anthropologist was 62 years previous, died in his sleep whereas in Rwanda, Companions in Well being said in a statement. A reason behind dying wasn’t out there Monday night.

“Paul Farmer’s loss is devastating, however his imaginative and prescient for the world will stay on by means of Companions in Well being,” Companions In Well being CEO Dr. Sheila Davis mentioned in an announcement. “Paul taught all these round him the ability of accompaniment, love for each other and solidarity. Our deepest sympathies are along with his household.”

Farmer, who in December was named one of many 2021 Forbes Healthcare Summit’s 10 leaders of the last decade, had beforehand lived in Rwanda and labored for a few years on bettering the nation’s healthcare system.

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Farmer was Kolokotrones College Professor and chair of the Division of International Well being and Social Medication at Harvard Medical Faculty, chief of the Division of International Well being Fairness at Brigham and Girls’s Hospital in Boston, and co-founder and chief strategist of Companions In Well being.

“Dr. Farmer and his colleagues pioneered novel, community-based remedy methods that display the supply of high-quality well being care in resource-poor settings,” Companions in Well being mentioned. “He wrote extensively on well being, human rights, and the implications of social inequality. Dr. Farmer was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Institute of Medication of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences, from which he was the recipient of the 2018 Public Welfare Medal.”

Farmer is survived by his spouse, Didi Bertrand Farmer, and their three kids, Companions in Well being mentioned.