Public Health Resources

Books

In addition to these books, there is a very interesting site where a lot of interesting information is published. We advise you to read this article for example https://occupytheory.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-qualitative-research/

Mountains Beyond Mountains (Tracy Kidder)

“Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that “the only real nation is humanity” – a philosophy that is embodied in the small public charity he founded, Partners In Health. He enlists the help of the Gates Foundation, George Soros, the U.N.’s World Health Organization, and others in his quest to cure the world. At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb “Beyond mountains there are mountains” as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.” – GoodReads

Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor (Paul Farmer)

“There are many kinds of gifted physicians: clinicians, researchers, and those who build institutions. Paul Farmer is the rarest of all: a prophet. Pathologies of Power is a jeremiad on how the “structural violence” of denied opportunities, economic deprivation, violent despots (and the powers supporting them), and international financial organizations harm the health of billions of people who are so distant that they are glibly and uncomprehendingly referred to as living in a “third world.”” – New England Journal of Medicine

Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plague (Paul Farmer)

“Challenging the accepted methodologies of epidemiology and international health, he points out that most current explanatory strategies, from “cost-effectiveness” to patient “noncompliance,” inevitably lead to blaming the victims. In reality, larger forces, global as well as local, determine why some people are sick and others are shielded from risk. Yet this moving account is far from a hopeless inventory of insoluble problems. Farmer writes of what can be done in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, by physicians determined to treat those in need. Infections and Inequalities weds meticulous scholarship with a passion for solutions—remedies for the plagues of the poor and the social maladies that have sustained them.” – Good Reads

Development as Freedom (Amartya Sen)

“Sen explains how in a world of unprecedented increase in overall opulence, millions of people living in rich and poor countries are still unfree. Even if they are not technically slaves, they are denied elementary freedom and remain imprisoned in one way or another by economic poverty, social deprivation, political tyranny or cultural authoritarianism. The main pupose of development is to spread freedom and its ‘thousand charms’ to the unfree citizens.” – Oxford University Press

Millions Saved: Proven Successes in Global Health (Ruth Levine)

“Millions Saved: Proven Success in Global Health is about part of that success story: remarkable cases in which large-scale efforts to improve health in developing countries have succeeded – saving millions of lives and preserving the livelihoods and social fabric of entire communities. From the eradication of polio in Latin America, to the elimination of measles in southern Africa, to HIV prevention in Thailand, the 20 cases in this study provide clear evidence that large-scale success in health is possible. The book provides policy-relevant information about how major successes can be achieved in the future, and clear evidence that global health challenges, which are often perceived as daunting, are indeed solvable.” – Center for Global Development

I Am Malala (Malala Yousafzai)

“I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.   I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person’s voice to inspire change in the world.” – LitLovers

Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors Without Borders (Dan Bortolotti)

“Bortolotti’s book looks into the lives of the doctors, nurses and non-medical volunteers who work with MSF in places around the world. The book debunks the idea that all volunteers are doctors (in fact, most aren’t; the majority of volunteers work on administrative and logistical tasks), and deemphasizes the glamour of the work that is done by medical staff. Often, doctors do very little hands-on work, instead training local members of the community to provide the care, in the spirit of teaching a man to fish. In one case, a doctor stood by watching as local staff attempted, repeatedly, to insert an IV in the veins of a dehydrated baby. By the time the staff succeeded, the baby had moved from wailing to stoicism, but the doctor did not intervene, because local staff needed to be able to do this procedure.” – BlogCritics

Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health (Laurie Garrett)

“She asks: Is our collective health in a state of decline? If so, how dire is this crisis, and has the public health system itself contributed to it? Using reviting detail and finely honed storytelling, Garrett exposes the underbelly of the world’s globalization to find out if it can still be assumed that government can and will protect the people’s health, or if that trust has been irrevocably broken.” – Back cover of book

The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance (Laurie Garrett)

“Unpurified drinking water. Improper use of antibiotics. Local warfare. Massive refugee migration. Changing social and environmental conditions around the world have fostered the spread of new and potentially devastating viruses and diseases—HIV, Lassa, Ebola, and others. Laurie Garrett takes you on a fifty-year journey through the world’s battles with microbes and examines the worldwide conditions that have culminated in recurrent outbreaks of newly discovered diseases, epidemics of diseases migrating to new areas, and mutated old diseases that are no longer curable. She argues that it is not too late to take action to prevent the further onslaught of viruses and microbes, and offers possible solutions for a healthier future.” – Good Reads

To Repair the World: Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation

“This book is a collection of short speeches by the charismatic doctor and social activist Paul Farmer. One of the most passionate and influential voices for global health equity and social justice, Farmer encourages young people to tackle the greatest challenges of our times. Engaging, often humorous, and always inspiring, these speeches bring to light the brilliance and force of Farmer’s vision in a single, accessible volume.” – GoodReads