From Haiti to Rwanda, Paul Farmer Moves Mountains

Paul E. Farmer, Presley professor of social medicine at Harvard Medical School, made the front page of the Boston Sunday Globe this week with his work in providing healthcare in rural Rwanda...

Paul E. Farmer, Presley professor of social medicine at Harvard Medical School, made the front page of the Boston Sunday Globe this week with his work in providing healthcare in rural Rwanda.

Farmer launched the nonprofit Partners in Health 20 years ago in Haiti; the organization has since expanded to eight other countries. Farmer and his wife, Didi Bertrand, have made Rwanda their home base; Farmer recently obtained citizenship there and joined the Rwandan Medical Society.

Two decades into his humanitarian work, Farmer seems to be charging full steam ahead. He tells the Globe: "I go to bed worrying about all the promises we've made, and I get up each morning thinking we haven't made enough promises."

That story is here; for more on Farmer's work, read an excerpt from Mountains Beyond Mountains, a book by journalist Tracy Kidder ’67, from the Harvard Magazine archives.

You might also like

The Harvard graduate’s roundtable talk show touches on hot button issues from religion to sex. 

A new federal rule sparks uncertainty for graduate students.

The Harvard Kennedy School professor has led inquiries into the polarizing conflicts in the Middle East.

Most popular

Long-discussed reorganization includes layoffs and the end of the Dudley Community.

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

FAS leaders say restructuring will be complete by mid-October.

Explore More From Current Issue

Colorful word cloud with various emotions and ideas related to learning and reflection.

But it can’t replace human connection.

Three hands hold smartphones displaying social media profiles with likes and hearts.

Tell us about how social media impacts your daily life.

A smiling William C. Kirby in a suit with glasses stands outdoors, surrounded by greenery.

The president of Harvard Magazine’s Board of Directors will step down in September.