The 51łÔąĎÍřSchool of Population and Global Health is pleased to announce that Drs. Lalitha Regi and Regi George have been named the 2025 co-recipients of the Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity. Based in Sittilingi Valley, Tamil Nadu, India, the couple has spent over three decades advancing health equity and social justice through the Tribal Health Initiative (THI) – a community-led model integrating clinical care, public health, sustainable agriculture, women’s empowerment, and local governance.
Transforming health and livelihoods in rural India
When Drs. Lalitha and Regi arrived in Sittilingi Valley in 1993, the area’s health indicators were among the worst in India: infant mortality was 147 per 1,000 live births, and maternal deaths were frequent. Starting from a small thatched hut that served as their first clinic, they worked alongside the local tribal (Indigenous) community to build what is now a 35-bed hospital and network of trained health workers. Their sustained engagement has helped reduce infant mortality to 8 per 1,000, with no maternal deaths in 15 years — a transformation far surpassing national averages.
Recognizing that health depends on food security, livelihoods, and environment, the couple broadened their vision beyond medicine. They supported farmers in shifting to organic, millet-based agriculture and co-founded the Sittilingi Organic Farmers Association (SOFA), now over 700 members strong. They also created enterprises that empower women and preserve local traditions, such as the Porgai Artisans Association, which revived traditional Lambadi embroidery, and Vanavil, a tailoring collective. These initiatives have brought economic stability, improved nutrition, and renewed cultural pride — showing that lasting health equity grows from the soil of justice and self-reliance.
Strengthening communities and shaping future leaders
THI’s influence extends into local governance. A nurse trained at THI was elected Panchayat (village council) President, ushering in transparent, corruption-free leadership and ensuring access to electricity, water, and roads in remote hamlets. The community’s resilience was further tested during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Sittilingi’s locally run health and food systems allowed it to weather the crisis with minimal disruption.
To nurture future leaders in health equity, THI runs educational programs such as the Rural Sensitization Program, exposing medical students to rural realities, and a Travel Fellowship in Primary Care, supporting young doctors to learn from community-based health initiatives across India. These programs ensure that THI’s lessons continue to inspire socially conscious physicians.
About the Paul Farmer Award
The Paul Farmer Lectureship and Award for Global Health Equity was established by 51łÔąĎÍřin 2024 in memory of the late Dr. Paul Farmer – a physician, anthropologist, and co-founder of Partners In Health – whose work redefined global health through his moral commitment to the world’s most marginalized communities. Each year, the award recognizes an individual or couple whose life’s work embodies Dr. Farmer’s vision of a “preferential option for the poor.”
The exceptional calibre of this year’s nominations highlights the extraordinary work being done worldwide to advance health equity. Alongside honouring the 2025 recipients, 51łÔąĎÍřis also pleased to profile the top-ranked finalists on the Paul Farmer Award webpage, celebrating their inspiring efforts and the compassion, humility, and social justice values this award seeks to honour.
This year’s co-recipients were selected through a rigorous two-stage review process that included evaluation by an international selection panel from among 37 nominations worldwide.
“Drs. Lalitha and Regi’s life’s work represents the very essence of what Paul Farmer stood for,” said Dr. Madhukar Pai, Chair of McGill’s Department of Global and Public Health. “Their commitment to building a self-reliant, equitable, and thriving community in one of India’s most remote regions is a powerful reminder that health equity is built from the ground up.”
“The story of Sittilingi Valley is one of transformation through solidarity,” said Dr. Robert Platt, Director of the 51łÔąĎÍřSchool of Population and Global Health. “It shows that with humility, partnership, and persistence, it is possible to reshape not just health systems, but lives and futures.”
Upon learning of their selection, Drs. Lalitha and Regi expressed gratitude:
“We are greatly honoured and humbled at being selected to receive this award. Many years ago, when we read Mountains Beyond Mountains and were deeply inspired by the work of Dr. Farmer, we never imagined that one day we would receive one of the biggest prizes in public health. We accept with all humility.”
Drs. Lalitha and Regi were announced as the 2025 co-recipients of the Paul Farmer Award during McGill’s annual Global Health Night on November 6, 2025. On the same evening, the 2024 award recipient, Zackie Achmat, delivered the inaugural Paul Farmer Lecture to a full audience. 51łÔąĎÍřlooks forward to welcoming Drs. Lalitha and Regi to Montreal in November 2026 to receive their award and deliver the second Paul Farmer Lecture at the 2026 edition of 51łÔąĎÍřGlobal Health Night.
The SPGH will launch the call for nominations for the 2026 Paul Farmer Award in the spring of 2026.