Book Read 2010
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
Thank you for your interest in the 2010 WMU College of Health and Human Services Book Read…a catalyst for examining health care locally and globally.
About the Book
Kickoff Event
Public Event April 13
Face-2-Face Discussions
Film Showings
Click here to buy the book
Meet Donna Barry NP MPH, keynote speaker
On-line discussion
Become a fan on Facebook
About the Book: The focus of Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder is Dr. Paul Farmer—Harvard professor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist, and MacArthur "genius" grant recipient. From Harvard to Peru, Cuba, Russia and Haiti, Kidder chronicles the ways in which Farmer pursues his calling: to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most.
The book shows how change can be fostered in situations that seem insurmountable and how one person can impact global health problems by understanding the interaction of politics, wealth, social systems and disease. Much of the action Kidder covers takes place in Haiti, of particular relevance in the aftermath of the recent earthquake there.
Kickoff Event: Donna Barry, NP MPH, will speak at the Book Read Kick-off event on Tuesday, March 9th at 11:00 a.m. CHHS Rooms 4010 & 2089. From Partners in Health in Boston, Ms. Barry will present “Partner in Health: Accompaniment in Action.” A discussion and reception will follow her presentation.
Kalamazoo College is hosting: a college-wide book read on "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder. Their events are free and open to the public and they would like to encourage you to attend a presentation by Dr. Joia Mukherjee, the Chief Medical Officer of Partners in Health, who will deliver will deliver a lecture on public health relief work in the developing world, entitled, “Relief and Long-Term Partnerships: Responding to Acute and Chronic Needs in the Developing World.”
This event is being held Tuesday, April 13th at 8:00 p.m. in the Dalton Theater of the Light Fine Arts Building.
See their page for more details: https://reason.kzoo.edu/csjl/upcoming_events/Location: http://www.kzoo.edu/map.html#
- Thursday March 11th, 12:00 p.m. hosted by PA Student, Joshua Barber
Room 1284 - Tuesday March 16th, 3:30 p.m. hosted by Nursing Professor, Mary Lagerwey Room 1284
- Thursday March 18th, 12:00 p.m. hosted by PA Student, Tricia Medina
Room 1284 - Tuesday March 23rd, 5:00 p.m. hosted by Doctoral Student, Shannon McMorrow
Room 3267
The Book Read is an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, alumni and others to use a common reading experience as a catalyst for discussion of key issues that impact health and human services.
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder was published in 2003. It was a New York Times bestseller and has been used extensively in community “read” programs throughout the United States. In medical school, Paul Farmer found his life’s calling: to cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. Tracy Kidder’s magnificent account shows how one person can make a difference in solving global health problems through a clear-eyed understanding of the interaction of politics, wealth, social systems and disease. Profound and powerful, Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba and Russia as Farmer changes people’s minds through his dedication to the philosophy that “the only real nation is humanity.”
Meet Donna Barry NP MPH, keynote speaker. Donna Barry is currently the Advocacy and Policy Director at Partners In Health (PIH) where she began working in 2001. Previously she led the PIH project to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in Russia and was Co-Director of PIH’s women’s health programs in Haiti. She is guiding PIH’s advocacy and policy efforts related to health and hunger, socio-economic development in Haiti, increasing the pool of funding for global health and the health care worker shortage. She has participated in briefings and hearings on Capitol Hill regarding reproductive health, debt relief in Haiti, childhood malnutrition, tuberculosis, and funding for global health and presented at multiple venues about PIH’s model and work. A Nurse Practitioner with certifications in women’s and adult health, Donna also coordinates PIH’s nursing activities and provides clinical and program advice to PIH’s women’s health programs.
Photo courtesy Donna Barry, PIH
On-line Discussion: We invite you to join our online discussion forum of “Mountains.” For those with a Facebook account, become a fan of the “WMU College of Health & Human Services Book Read” page and click on the discussion tab. New topics will be originated weekly following the kickoff event and last throughout the month of March 2010. Read comments and add comments or questions of your own. There you can also find insightful links on news stories and videos regarding PIH’s work in Haiti and around the world. Also, links are provided to keep up-to-date on the aftermath and the relief efforts in Haiti following last month’s major earthquake.
For questions or to share information, e-mail chhs-bookread@groupwise.wmich.eduor log on to the book read page on Facebook.