Our Most-Read, Watched, and Shared Posts of 2022
The blog stories, social posts, and videos that highlight a year of loss, emergency response, and advocacy
Posted on December 21, 2022
In February 2022, Partners In Health’s (PIH) Co-founder and Chief Strategist Dr. Paul Farmer unexpectedly passed away. PIHers and individuals around the world mourned his loss and reflected on his commitment to delivering justice through health care, a movement he and others started more than 30 years ago that continues to save millions of lives today. Unsurprisingly, many of our most-read stories and social posts discussed Paul’s legacy.
PIH supporters were also curious to learn more about our health care facilities and how we respond to emergencies, including natural disasters and cholera outbreaks in Haiti and Malawi. That curiosity extended beyond clinical work and to our advocacy efforts. From gender equity to systemic change, supporters wanted to know how to advance health care as a human right.
Below are our most-read stories, social posts, and videos published in 2022.
Dr. Paul Farmer
1. Remembering Dr. Paul Farmer
Paul passed away from an acute cardiac event on February 21. He is survived by his wife, Didi Bertrand, and their three children. Read more.
2. Watch: Dr. Paul Farmer’s Memorial Service
The two-hour memorial service took place at Trinity Church in Copley Square in Boston, Mass., where Paul began his medical school journey and co-founded PIH. More than 600 people gathered that day to mourn and thousands more joined virtually, from Rwanda to Peru. View more.
3. Watch: Dr. Paul Farmer Tribute Video
PIH shared a tribute video with archival photos and videos of Paul during the March 12 memorial service at Trinity Church in Boston. Watch the video.
4. Photo Essay: Dr. Paul Farmer’s Journey with Partners In Health
A glimpse of Paul’s more than 30 years treating patients, educating clinicians, and changing global health policy. Read more.
5. 5 Quotes from Dr. Paul Farmer that Inspire Us
These five quotes are a sample of the wealth of knowledge and insights Paul shared with all of us, captured in books, speeches, and conversations throughout his life. Read more.
Global Work
6. With Instability in Haiti, Doors Remain Open at PIH Facilities
Not only is Zanmi Lasante (ZL), PIH’s sister organization in Haiti, providing essential services in the midst of a crisis, it also continues to strengthen health systems overall through its medical training programs. The internationally accredited Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais’s residency programs in 11 specialties graduate more clinicians every year, the majority of whom remain in Haiti to work. Read more.
7. Watch: Cange Declaration (Bending The Arc Excerpt)
In this clip from the documentary Bending the Arc, PIH Co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer reacts to archival footage of Haitians living with HIV–among them his former patients–reading aloud the Cange Declaration, a manifesto they wrote imploring world leaders to provide equitable access to antiretroviral treatment. Watch the video.
8. A New Cholera Outbreak Emerges in Haiti
ZL has been distributing food and hygiene supplies to staff and trying to procure fuel to keep medical facilities running. The team is also working with international partners to rapidly distribute essential supplies to respond to cholera, which reemerged in Haiti in October. To date, not one ZL facility has closed or been forced to stop caring for patients throughout the region as the number of people affected continues to climb. Read more.
9. Cyclone Rips Through Malawi Inflicting Massive Damage on Clinics, Homes
Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (APZU), as PIH is known in Malawi, reached at least 2,800 people affected by a powerful cyclone that swept through the country’s south in January and delivered emergency packages across Neno District, where APZU focuses its work. Read more.
10. Cholera Outbreak Spreads Through Southern Malawi
Following an outbreak of cholera in March, APZU continues to fill medical and other gaps, for instance, by helping to procure more treatment and test kits and mobilizing a cholera vaccination plan. This is not new for PIH: successful cholera vaccination campaigns were launched previously in Sierra Leone and Haiti. Read more.
11. Watch: Kayima Community Health Center
Take a look inside Kayima Community Health Center, a clinic serving one of the largest communities in rural Kono District, Sierra Leone. The center is among a handful of PIH-supported facilities in the eastern region that are undergoing renovation and quality improvement projects to boost patient care, especially for mothers and children. Watch the video.
12. The Promise of Butaro District Hospital: Key Facility Meets Growing Demand, Need for Expansion
PIH and the Rwandan government broke ground on the next phase of growth for PIH-supported Butaro District Hospital. The ambitious, multi-year construction project is set to expand the hospital, located in the northern Burera District, from 150 to 240 beds and further establish it as a leading medical institution and teaching hospital in the region, linked to the neighboring University of Global Health Equity. The facility provides thousands of people access to primary care and specialized services, such as oncology. Watch the video.
Canada
13. AIDS 2022 Conference in Montreal
As the world gathered in Montreal for AIDS 2022, Partners In Health Canada joined PIH leaders from Haiti, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, and beyond as we honoured the legacy of our late co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer and carry forward Paul’s inspirational vision for global health equity, providing high-quality health care in some of the most difficult settings imaginable. Read the timeline of PIH’s work in HIV and AIDS.
14. Ampliyfying Haitian Voices at Canada’s Subcommittee on International Human Rights
Partners In Health Canada’s National Director, Mark Brender, amplified the voices of our Haitian colleagues to advocate for the country’s urgent needs for fuel, medical supplies, solar capacity, and additional supplies and staff for treatment of the recent outbreak of cholera. The message was clear: Canada can help in all of these areas right now. Watch the video.
Webinars
15. Tipping the Scales of Justice
For the World Day of Social Justice, Partners In Health assembled a panel of powerful activists representing various movements who care deeply about tipping the scales of justice. Moderated by Ophelia Dahl, PIH co-founder and chair of the Board of Directors, this very special panel will discuss modern-day activism, the role of social media, and the importance of going beyond social platforms to create systemic change. Watch now.
16. Training the Next Generation of Global Health Leaders
In the second webinar of the Paul’s Legacy and PIH’s Path Forward webinar series, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, vice chancellor of PIH’s University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda; Marc Julmisse, interim executive director of Zanmi Lasante; Daniel Orozco, chief knowledge officer; and Mutesi Mukinisha, UGHE student, discussed the ways our universities and teaching programs in Rwanda, Haiti, and beyond are, in Paul’s words, “decolonizing global health and expanding access to first-rate training opportunities”. Watch now.
17. Haiti: A Catalyst for PIH’s Global Work
Global leaders from across PIH teams joined to discuss PIH’s Haitian roots, how Zanmi Lasante has benefitted millions of people in the countries where PIH works, and why it’s important now more than ever to continue providing care in Haiti. Watch now.
Originally published in part on pih.org
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