Global Health: Biosocial Perspective Case Studies

Arthur Kleinman, born March 11, 1941, has revolutionized the fields of medical anthropology, cultural psychiatry, and global mental health over a five-decade career at Harvard University. After earning his MD from Stanford Medical School and MA in social anthropology from Harvard, he has built an extraordinary career combining psychiatry with anthropological insights. As the Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor of Anthropology and Professor of Medical Anthropology and Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, he has authored seven influential books including "The Illness Narratives," "Rethinking Psychiatry," and most recently "The Soul of Care," while co-authoring four others and co-editing 29 volumes. His groundbreaking research in China since 1978 has transformed understanding of mental health across cultures, while his concept of "social suffering" has influenced fields from global health to humanitarian response. Through founding the journal Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry and directing Harvard's Asia Center (2008-2016), he has shaped multiple disciplines while mentoring over 100 PhD students. His numerous honors include membership in the National Academy of Medicine and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Franz Boas Award from the American Anthropological Association, and his work continues to influence global mental health policy and practice through research on aging, caregiving, and social technology in China.

Paul Edward Farmer (1959-2022) transformed global health through his groundbreaking work combining medical anthropology, clinical care, and social justice. After earning his MD and PhD from Harvard University, where he became the Kolokotrones University Professor and Chair of Global Health and Social Medicine, he co-founded Partners In Health (PIH) in 1987, which grew from a small clinic in Haiti to an international organization operating in 12 countries. His innovative community-based treatment strategies demonstrated that high-quality healthcare could be delivered in resource-poor settings, pioneering successful approaches to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other diseases. Under his leadership, PIH developed groundbreaking programs in Haiti, Rwanda, and other countries, achieving some of the highest cure rates for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission. His extensive writings, including influential books like "Mountains Beyond Mountains" and "Pathologies of Power," shaped global health discourse while advocating for health as a human right. Farmer's work earned numerous honors and demonstrated that complex medical treatments could succeed in poor settings when combined with social support. Until his unexpected death in Rwanda in 2022, he continued serving as UN Special Adviser on Community-Based Medicine while treating patients, teaching at Harvard, and advocating for global health equity.

Anne E. Becker, MD, PhD, ScM, has revolutionized understanding of cultural influences on mental health as the Maude and Lillian Presley Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. After completing her MD-PhD at Harvard and psychiatry residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, she has built an extraordinary career combining anthropology, psychiatry, and global health. Her groundbreaking research in Fiji demonstrated how rapid social transition and media exposure influence eating disorders in indigenous populations, earning her the 2013 Price Family Award and 2018 Leadership Award in Research. As founding director of MGH's Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program and current Dean for Clinical and Academic Affairs at Harvard Medical School, she has authored over 150 publications while leading school-based mental health interventions in Haiti and Lebanon. Her influential book "Body, Self, and Society: The View from Fiji" and service on the DSM-5 Eating Disorders Work Group have shaped understanding of cultural factors in mental health. Through her roles as former vice chair of Global Health and Social Medicine and director of Harvard's MD-PhD Social Sciences program, she continues to mentor the next generation while advancing culturally-informed approaches to mental healthcare.

Salmaan Keshavjee, Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Faculty Dean of Adams House, has transformed global approaches to treating drug-resistant tuberculosis and health delivery in resource-limited settings. After earning multiple degrees including an ScM in Immunology from Harvard School of Public Health, MA and PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University, and MD from Stanford University, he has built an extraordinary career combining medical anthropology with clinical practice. His groundbreaking work includes establishing successful MDR-TB treatment programs in Tomsk, Russia, and pioneering HIV/MDR-TB co-infection treatment in Lesotho. As former chair of WHO's Green Light Committee Initiative and current Director of Harvard Medical School's Center for Global Health Delivery, he has shaped global policy on tuberculosis treatment. His influential book "Blind Spot" (2014) critically examines how neoliberal ideology has impacted global health delivery, drawing from his extensive ethnographic research in post-Soviet Tajikistan. Through his roles at Partners In Health, where he has served as Senior TB Specialist since 1997, and his leadership positions at Harvard Medical School, he continues to advance innovative approaches to global health delivery while mentoring the next generation of global health leaders.