Will A Global Health Pioneer be Joining the Team at State?

I just saw this over on Huffington Post, and it sounds both interesting and promising:

“…the Obama administration is reportedly on the brink of what could be a truly game-changing appointment. Friday the Boston Globe reported that Dr. Paul Farmer, the McArthur “Genius Award” winning physician and visionary global health pioneer, is being considered to direct foreign assistance within the administration. The rumors seem to be true and he seems to have a great deal of support within the administration–and that reality says a lot about the boldness of Obama White House and Clinton State Department. It could go a long way toward healing some of the deep frustration over the 2010 budget.

Dr. Farmer would be a truly inspired choice. He has dedicated his life to providing healthcare and a higher standard of living to some of the world’s most impoverished populations. He is a visionary thinker, a bold advocate who has challenged policy-makers, and an expert in international development who has shown he knows how to transform the way we fight systemic poverty. I hope he can be convinced to come to Washington.

[snip]

The US Agency for International Development and other US development initiatives are very much in need of this kind of vision. Mired in bureaucracy and political calculations, these institutions are too often serving a myriad of interests but failing to truly address the needs of those the programs purport to help. The successes–initiatives like US-supported AIDS programs (which are in need of change themselves)–succeed when they are focused on clear, measurable outcomes judged in services provided and lives saved rather than dollars out the door. This is the kind of vision Farmer has helped build.

With Congress set to re-write the US Foreign Assistance Act, this year offers a once-in-a-generation kind of opportunity to actually re-vamp our development aid. Only bold, visionary leadership will enable this process to rise above narrow interests to focus on outcomes for impoverished people and fighting destabilizing global poverty.

With Dr. Farmer, President Obama and Secretary Clinton may just have found the person who could lead the kind of sweeping change to Washington that they have so often promised. If they can convince him to come to DC, they will have shown the kind of political courage and commitment to bold leadership on international development I worried I wouldn’t see.”

Dr. Farmer has written several books on the intersection between poverty, oppression and health status and he is known around the world as a tireless activist-physician working to combat the spread of disease and other public health crisis and in particular, he has gained international recognition for his pioneering efforts to provide health care access for people with HIV/AIDS in some of the poorest areas of the world (including Haiti and Rwanda).

Thus far, Dr. Farmer has not responded to inquiries about this news of a possible appointment or position and according to Boston.com, the State Dept. could not confirm or deny that Dr. Farmer was being considered for a formal post.

Stay tuned…