Another excellent
book, both from the perspective of medical anthropology as well as the issue
of medicine as a tool of social justice:
Mountains
Beyond Mountains: Healing
the World: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer
by Tracy
Kidder
Editorial
Reviews
From Publishers
Weekly
In this excellent work, Pulitzer Prize-winner
Kidder (The Soul of a New Machine) immerses himself in and beautifully
explores the rich drama that exists in the life of Dr. Paul Farmer. A
Massachusetts native who has been working in
Haiti since 1982, Farmer founded
Zanmi Lasante (Creole for Partners in Health), a nongovernmental organization
that is the only health-care provider for hundreds of thousands of peasant
farmers in the Plateau Central. He did this while juggling work in
Haiti and study at the
Harvard
Medical School. (Farmer received his M.D. and a
Ph.D. in anthropology simultaneously in 1990.) During his work in
Haiti, Farmer pioneered a
community-based treatment method for patients with tuberculosis that, Kidder
explains, has had better clinical outcomes than those in U.S. inner
cities. For this work, Farmer was recognized in 1993 with a MacArthur
Foundation "genius grant," all of which he donated to Zanmi Lasante. Using
interviews with family members and various friends and associates, Kidder
provides a sympathetic account of Farmer's early life, from his idiosyncratic
family to his early days in Haiti. Kidder also recounts his
time with Farmer as he travels to Moscow;
Lima, Peru; Boston;
and other cities where Farmer relentlessly seeks funding and educates people
about the hard conditions in Haiti. Throughout, Kidder captures
the almost saintly effect Farmer has on those whom he treats.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information,
Inc.
From: Social
Determinants of Health [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dockter, Nancy E
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 9:35
AM
To:
[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re:
[SDOH] Kanne Marilyn Re: [SDOH] help with physician
training
Ditto re: Fadiman's
booK, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall
Down - just finished reading it - can't say enough good things
about it. Her balanced, compassionate, well-researched work about the
collision of two cultures - that of the Hmong and that of Western medicine -
is an outstanding, enlightening book.
She references the
work of Arthur Kleiman's work.
Nancy
Dockter
From: Social
Determinants of Health [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carlos Vassaux
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2004 4:43
PM
To:
[log in to unmask]
Subject: [SDOH]
Kanne Marilyn Re: [SDOH] help with physician
training
"The spirit catches you and you fall down - A MONG
CHILD, HER AMERICAN DOCTORS AND THE COLLISION OF TWO
CULTURES"
Farrae, Straus and Giroux, NY. 1997 ISBN
0-374-52564-1
is a most to understand
the importance of social culture and beliefs in health isues.
Carlos Vassaux, M.D.
Guatemala
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday,
June 18, 2004 10:37 AM
Subject: [SDOH]
help with physician training
Hi. Does anyone know of evidence
that individual lack of competence in diversity & cultural
competency in health care professionals (particularly physicians) leads to
poor health outcomes for groups?
Is anyone familiar with
successful models of physician training on cultural competency and
diversity?
We would be happy to share the
findings on both of these topics. Thanks.
Marylin
Marylin
Kanee
Diversity
and Human Rights Advisor
Mount
Sinai Hospital
600
University Ave.
Toronto,
On.
M5G
1X5
416
586-4722