Issue date: 3/15/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Mark Chou Paul Farmer discusses health care inequalities in poorer countries before a packed audience in Irvine Auditorium yesterday afternoon. His lecture was the highlight of the 2007 Dean's Forum. [Click to enlarge]

Few people would guess that a Harvard professor and renowned physician would have much of a sense-of-humor - that is, until they meet Paul Farmer.

From lightly asking permission from SAS Dean Rebecca Bushnell and College Dean Dennis DeTurck to telling anecdotes to remarking on a patient recovering from malnutrition having to do sit-ups after gaining back a lot of weight, Farmer infused his informative lecture with humour before a packed Irvine Auditorium yesterday afternoon.

Students swarmed into the auditorium to hear Farmer lead the 2007 Dean's Forum with a speech entitled "AIDS in 2007: Building a Health Care Movement."

The fascinated audience listened as Farmer, a widely-respected physician, anthropologist, Harvard professor and author, discussed his celebrated method for treating patients with tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in poverty-stricken countries, such as Haiti and Rwanda.

Farmer, who is known for putting patient care before cost, explained his procedure for bringing health care services to developing countries and "the role a research university like Penn can play in poverty and inequality."

Much of Farmer's noted work has been accomplished through Partners in Health, an organization he co-founded in 1987 that provides medical services to impoverished communities in Haiti, Rwanda, Peru, Russia and elsewhere.

Engaging his audience through education and humor, Farmer answered a question students often ask him: "What can be done about poverty and the inequality of health care?"

His answer was sincere.

"The world is gonna be alright if the people like the ones I met today are going to be handling the problems," Farmer said, referring to pre-med students he met with earlier in the day.

Continued...

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