Sriram Shamasunder

wrote about my last week with #PaulFarmer in Rwanda. Like many of us I didn’t know him so well but felt close to him because of the values of justice, health equity, humility and love that was his life. They were on full display the last week of his life.

Most of the physician lawmakers who voted for this devastating tax bill? White. Male. Meanwhile, millions stand to lose healthcare. We need more diverse voices in medicine and policymaking. Image source: @medpagetoday

As conflict zones, disaster-affected regions, and underserved communities face mounting health challenges, traditional systems are struggling to keep up with fewer resources and growing need. Against this backdrop, today’s Health and Human Rights panel at the 2025 Human Rights & Humanitarian Forum explored how we can move beyond emergency response toward health systems that are sustainable, community-led, and grounded in equity. Moderated by Alice Park @AliceParkNY, Senior Health Correspondent at @TIME, the conversation brought together global health leaders and practitioners with deep experience in humanitarian settings, public health innovation, and rights-based care: - Nidhi Bouri, former Deputy Assistant Administrator for Global Health, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) - Dr. Alina Dorian, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Associate Professor, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health @UCLAFSPH - Dr. Sriram Shamasunder @srijeeva, Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); Co-Founder and Faculty Director, HEAL Initiative @healinitiative - Geetha Tharmaratnam @G_tharmaratnam, Chief Impact Investment Officer, World Health Organization (WHO) Foundation @WHOFoundation #HRHF2025

Thousands of fired USAID employees were given 15 minutes today to clear out their personal belongings from headquarters.

“You cannot pause a plane in midflight and expect that everything is going to be O.K. That’s what they were trying to do with lifesaving health and humanitarian assistance around the world.” Such a great convo—about much more than foreign aid. newyorker.com/podcast/politi…

What a devastating indictment of our country.

Friends, may i kindly request you to forward the above invitations to the current Deans of medical schools in Africa? Without a well-organized database, it has been difficult to reach out to most of them.

100 medics killed in two weeks in Lebanon. Unacceptable violation of rules of war and targeting of health workers again and again by the state of Israel.

such a great and powerful article! I heard part of these stories from June herself at the end of her life but not in this detail. The punishment of academic voices speaking about Palestine is not new. June paid for that solidarity as do many today. Grateful for this piece.

🧵@healinitiative is transforming healthcare workers who are transforming healthcare systems. PIH has been a long time partner and champion of HEAL since it’s founding.

We definitely need more health workers committed to health equity and solidarity in the tradition that @PIH has modeled for decades. It’s been a huge privilege to stand alongside so many noble health workers around the world fighting for health equity. Consider joining us!

Wonderful Listening to legendary leader eric gosby at #cugh encouraging us to have global south and all women lead more often.

Big announcement - I’m running to serve in the New Mexico House of Representatives! I’m ready to work with my district to together build imaginative, loving, and creative solutions to our biggest challenges. Follow us here +IG + FB at @anjalifornm and at anjalifornm.com

Just now from Dr. Khaled Alserr @ Nasser Hospital where the Israeli army bombed the hospital, hitting patient wards & killing an already injured patient on his hospital bed @AJEnglish @MiddleEastEye @EyeonPalestine @DrMadsGilbert @MustafaBarghou1 @LibyanIntegrity @OsaidesserMD

Annie Lennox the first person in awards season to call for a ceasefire on tv

Global Health, GLocal Health, and the Indian Health Service with ⁦@healinitiative⁩ Dr. Adriann Begay | NEJM Resident 360 resident360.nejm.org/curbside-consu…

From our @healinitiative fellow. The Migration Crisis in Mexico | Think Global Health thinkglobalhealth.org/article/migrat…

via @NYTimes. I met him once a few years back. Very understated. Not wanting your name on every building you donate to. Imagine that. Definitely more philanthropists should follow his example. nytimes.com/2023/10/09/bus…

Listening to Michael J fox and Hilary Clinton speak. He said Parkinson’s is a “gift that keeps on taking.” Amazing how many people with illness frame their journey like that. They don’t want their illness but it has shaped who they are. #CGI2023

“The issue is not a scarcity of resources or a scarcity of ideas to reduce poverty, it’s a scarcity of moral consciousness.” @RevDrBarber #cgi2023