Laurie Garrett: Communicating Global Health
I’m a strong believer in communication as a vehicle for change. This might sound like a generic statement, but that’s just because I’m not as good of a communicator as I’d like to be. I’ve been realizing that a lot of what I idolize in others is the power of communication. Paul Farmer is great because he’s so good at explaining and contextualizing human rights and social justice in health. And the fact that he leads by example communicates a lot as well. James Orbinski’s wikipedia entry states that he is “considered a brilliant orator” which is exemplified in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech (which I’ve mentioned before…its that good). Both of these two physicians’ zero tolerance for bullshit and use of carefully chosen words are what make them leaders for change.
The global health communicator that knocks my socks off is Laurie Garrett. Her belief in the importance of communication is illustrated in her decision to become a writer and a journalist, despite her traditional scientific training. I could rave about her ability to articulate the big picture with such attention to detail, but instead I’m going to encourage you to get the message straight from the horse’s mouth (although I like her message better in writing):
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