The 海角社区 School of Population and Global Health (SPGH) is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity. Submit your nomination by the deadline of Friday, June 12, 2026.
Scope of the lectureship and award
To honour Paul鈥檚 legacy, the 海角社区 School of Population and Global Health established a lectureship and award in 2024 that is given on an annual basis to an individual who models and demonstrates Paul鈥檚 vision of a 鈥榩referential option for the poor鈥� to achieve equity in health. In particular, the award honours individuals (or couples) working in under-served communities whose contributions are often overlooked or insufficiently recognized.聽We seek to honour people who have been bold enough to 鈥溾�� and have lived a life of . By modeling accompaniment himself, Paul taught us that our lives are in service of others.
The inaugural 2024 Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity was awarded to Mr Zackie Achmat (South Africa). Mr. Achmat delivered the at 海角社区 Global Health Night in November 2025.
The 2025 Paul Farmer Award was awarded to Drs Lalitha Regi and Regi George (India), founders of the Tribal Health Initiative in Sittilingi Valley, Tamil Nadu. They will deliver the second Paul Farmer Lecture at 海角社区 Global Health Night in November 2026.
This page launches the call for nominations for the 2026 Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity.
What will the lectureship and award include?
The awardee will deliver a special lecture at 海角社区 and receive a cash honorarium. In 2026, the honorarium will be CAD $5,000. Travel and accommodation to attend the event at 海角社区 will also be covered.
Frequency of the lectureship and award
Annual.
One award is given annually and can be shared if two nominees (e.g. couple or siblings) have equally contributed to the body of work.
2026 Selection Committee
- Madeleine Ballard, CEO, Community Health Impact Coalition
- Timothy Evans, Vice-President, Research, Innovation and Impact, Concordia University, Canada
- Sabina Faiz Rashid, Professor, James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Bangladesh
- Edward Kelley, CEO, Global Health Innovation Solutions
- Rishi Manchanda, CEO, HealthBegins
- Fatoumata Nafo-Traor茅, former Minister of Health, Mali
Call for Nominations
Through the Paul Farmer Lectureship and Award for Global Health Equity, we want to identify, honour, and promote champions who have dedicated their lives to achieving health equity in the most challenging circumstances. We are especially interested in nominations of individuals whose work reflects the values that defined Paul Farmer鈥檚 life and practice, including solidarity with marginalized communities, long-term commitment, and leadership grounded in service and accompaniment. Health equity strives for the highest possible standard of health for all people and gives attention to those at greatest risk of poor health, based on social or economic conditions. Thus, the award could be given to an individual who has worked to improve access to healthcare or access to health products (e.g. vaccines or medicines) in equity-denied communities. It could also be given to someone who has mobilized others, and/or helped build a local or national movement for health equity. Given the outstanding nominations we anticipate receiving, we look forward to profiling the top-ranked finalists on our website, in addition to honouring the winner.
A nominee for this award...
- Is a living person, an exceptional practitioner, leading impactful work to address health inequities in underserved communities in any region of the world;
- Has a substantial, long-term track record of demonstrably improving health equity at the community level;
- Is from any region of the world but nominations from the Global South are especially welcome;
- May conduct research or lead an institution as part of their practice, but the award is not based on research track record or an individual鈥檚 rank within an institution; it is based on practice or service that leads to improvement of health equity.
Profiles that are NOT in scope for the award include:
- Academics researching health inequities, unless they also work on practice that meets the above criteria;
- Promising students, trainees or early career practitioners;
- Persons working on discovery and development of new drugs, vaccines or diagnostics;
- Current 海角社区 faculty or staff;
- Institutions or organizations.
What makes a strong nomination
Strong nominations clearly demonstrate the nominee鈥檚 impact on improving health equity in underserved communities. Nominators are encouraged to provide specific examples of the nominee鈥檚 contributions and their tangible outcomes.
Where possible, nominations should include evidence such as:
- Improvements in access to care, medicines, or preventive services in underserved communities;
- Measurable health outcomes or population-level changes;
- Creation of sustainable programs, institutions, or community-led initiatives;
- Evidence of community trust, partnership, and accompaniment;
- Influence on policy, systems, or social movements that advance health equity.
Nominations that provide concrete examples and evidence of impact will be easier for the Selection Committee to evaluate. We strongly recommend nominators to review the profiles of previous award winners to get a better understanding of the profiles that have been successful.
Nomination Deadline and Timeline
- The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, June 12th, 2026, at 11:59 PM EDT. Late submissions will not be considered.
- All nominations must be submitted via the online nomination form found below.
- Nominators will be notified of the competition results in September 2026.
Nomination package (to be compiled as a single PDF file)
Self-nominations are not accepted. All nominations must be submitted by a single lead nominator who will take responsibility for putting together the package below. Nominees must be made aware of their nomination beforehand and provide their consent to the nominators.
- Biosketch: Biosketch or brief biography of the nominee which includes their contact information (email and mobile phone numbers) as well as photograph (headshot). 1 page max.
- Rationale for nomination (1,000 words max): What makes the nominee worthy of the Paul Farmer Award for Health Equity? Summary of nominee's body of work and their impact on tackling health inequities in underserved communities or populations.
- Short resume or CV of the nominee: 10 pages max (Note: While a short resume or CV is required, nominations will be accepted and encouraged on behalf of those who do not have extensive formal academic credentials).
- Nomination letters: Two letters are required, one by the lead nominator and one by a secondary nominator. Each letter should not exceed two pages. Nominators must be able to provide objective evaluations of the candidate and their body of work, demonstrating the nominee's impact on improving health equity in underserved communities through evidence or citations. Additional letters beyond the required two cannot be submitted.
Additional Guidance on Nomination Package
- Title the PDF file as follows, using the first name and last name of the nominated individual: 鈥淧FA-2025-Firstname Lastname.pdf鈥�
- Submissions that exceed the maximum page or word limits may not be reviewed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please review the Frequently Asked Questions page before submitting a nomination.
Please direct inquiries to ghp-progmanager.med [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Inquiry%3A%20The%20Paul%20Farmer%20Lectureship%20and%20Award%20for%20Global%20Health%20Equity%20) (Kevin O鈥橬eill, Program Manager, 海角社区 Global Health Programs).
Nomination Form
All nominations must be submitted via the online nomination form below.