Paul Farmer grew up, one of six children in Brooksville, Florida. In 1978 Paul graduated from Hernando High School, where he served as Senior Class President and was voted "Most Popular Male" by his classmates. From his humble beginnings in Brooksville, Dr. Farmer has risen to become one of the world's most esteemed doctors and leader in world health.

Based on a recommendation from a high school teacher, Paul Farmer pursued his undergraduate studies at Duke University, graduating in 1982 with a Bachelor's Degree in anthropology.  He received his MD from Harvard Medical School and his Ph.D in medical anthropology in 1990 from Harvard University.

In 1987, Farmer, along with pals, Ophelia Dahl, Jim Yong Kim, Thomas J. White and Todd McCormack, co-founded Partners In Health (PIH).  PIH began in Cange in the Central Plateau of Haiti and has developed into a worldwide health organization.  The PIH hospital in Haiti provides free treatment  to patients. PIH helps patients living in poverty to obtain effective drugs to treat tuberculosis and AIDS.

In addition to his hospital in Haiti, Farmer oversees projects in Russia, Rwanda, Lesotho, Malawi and Peru.  His approach has it's basis in ethnographic analysis and real world practicality. Farmer is a co-founder and Board Member of the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti.