News about his death started circulating today around 3p.m.
His death was communicated by the management of UGHE which also expressed condolences to the bereaved family.
“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved Chancellor, Professor Paul Farmer who was the co-founder of Partners in Health [PIH] and the University of Global Health Equity, which occured today. He has been an inspiration for most of us at UGHE,” reads part of the statement.
“This is so sudden, an unimaginable catastrophe to all of us and the global health community as a whole. A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered. Please, join us to mourn the passing of our beloved role model, our leader, our dearest friend and our Muganga Mwiza [good doctor]. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, his colleagues at Partners in health and the UGHE Family. We request for your prayers as we go through this difficult time,” adds the statement.
It is said that Dr. Farmer has been suffering from high blood pressure which might be related to his death.
IGIHE has learnt from credible sources that Dr. Farmer has been in Rwanda for one month where he lectured at UGHE and attending to patients at Butaro Hospital.
Dr. Farmer is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Margaret Mead Award from the American Anthropological Association, the Outstanding International Physician (Nathan Davis) Award from the American Medical Association, a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and, with his PIH colleagues, the Hilton Humanitarian Prize.
Dr. Farmer was among nine individuals decorated with the Igihango National Order of Outstanding Friendship medals in recognition of their exemplary service to the nation in various capacities.
He has also served as a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Farmer was known for his efforts to provide health care to low-income nations. Born in North Adams, Mass., he graduated from Duke University in 1982 and went to Harvard University, where he earned an M.D. and a Ph.D. in anthropology.
In 1987, Farmer founded Partners in Health in Haiti with the mission to provide high-quality care to patients from impoverished backgrounds and those living far from health-care facilities. Over the next three decades, PIH expanded to countries across Africa and Latin America, to Russia and to the Navajo Nation in the U.S.
In 2020, he won the million-d0llar Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, an honor that goes to an individual who has made major contributions to advancing ideas that shape the world.
He dies at the age of 62.
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