PSU Littman Gallery Hosts Partners in Health Photo Exhibit Nov. 4–Dec. 4, 2010

“On the Same Map” depicts two decades of health care in Haiti, Rwanda, Peru and other countries

(Portland, Ore.) October 26, 2010 — Portland State University’s Littman Gallery will host a photo exhibit showcasing work by Partners in Health (PIH), November 4 – December 4, 2010.

Littman Gallery: “On the Same Map”

November 4 – December 4, 2010; Monday – Friday, noon to 4 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
PSU’s Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 250 (1825 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR, 97201)
Gallery contact: 503-725-5656, littmanandwhite@gmail.com
Free and open to the public. pdx.edu/events/pih

For images from the exhibit and additional information, contact David Santen, PSU University Communications, 503-725-8765, or santend@pdx.edu.

Partners in Health is the Boston-based organization renowned for its pioneering work to bring high-quality medical care to destitute communities around the world, as portrayed in Tracy Kidder’s bestselling book, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World.

The exhibit, “On the Same Map: A Photo Exhibition Celebrating Partners In Health’s 20 Years of Health and Social Justice,” depicts clinics and communities where PIH has forged partnerships with patients and local health workers to combat epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, hunger and poverty.

From the barren hills of Haiti, to the shantytowns of Peru, from the villages of rural Rwanda to the streets of downtown Boston, the photographs illuminate how communities that suffer the most glaring health, social, and economic disparities in the world can be revived when the individuals living in them have access to health, social and economic support, and training. If a picture is worth a thousand words, these images are worth millions for what they have to say about human dignity in the face of intolerable suffering and criminal indifference, about solidarity, and ultimately about hope. 

This traveling exhibit, first assembled in 2007 to mark Partners in Health’s 20th anniversary, has been updated to include striking images from recent work to rebuild medical services in Haiti, following the January 2010 earthquake.

Opening Reception and Partners in Health Speaker November 9
On November 9, Portland State University and Partners in Health will host an opening reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Littman Gallery, and a lecture at 7:30 p.m.

Lecture: Darius Jazayeri, “Partners In Health: Fighting for social justice and healthcare for the poor”
Tuesday, November 9, 7:30 p.m.
PSU’s Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom, Room 355 (1825 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR 97201)
Free and open to the public.

Darius Jazayeri is the former lead developer at Partners in Health, and now lead developer of Seattle-based OpenMRS, an open-source medical record system platform co-founded by Partners in Health.

Portland State University Exhibit and Lecture Sponsors
Portland State University is proud to sponsor the Partners in Health exhibit and to host Darius Jazayeri on November 9, 2010. PSU and Partners in Health share a mission of service, education and engagement with local communities around the world.

The following PSU organizations have made this exhibit and event possible:
Institute for Sustainable Solutions
Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning
School of Community Health
School of Business Administration’s Healthcare MBA (with OHSU)
School of Social Work
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Office of International Affairs
Office of the President
Littman Gallery/Student Activities and Leadership Programs

About the Exhibit: “On the Same Map: A Photo Exhibition Celebrating Partners In Health’s 20 Years of Health and Social Justice”
2007 marked the 20th anniversary of the founding of Partners In Health, the Boston-based organization renowned for its pioneering work to bring high-quality medical care to destitute communities, as portrayed in Tracy Kidder’s bestselling book, Mountains Beyond Mountains. To mark the occasion, Partners In Health assembled another striking portrayal of its work — an exhibit of 100 photographs depicting the

About Partners in Health
Twenty years ago, a small Boston-based nonprofit set out to provide quality health care to a squatter community in the central plateau of Haiti — the poorest region of the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Today, Partners In Health (PIH) works in 10 countries spanning four continents, providing community-based treatment and social support to fight the pandemic diseases of the poor — AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, hunger and malnutrition.  

Through service delivery, training, research, and advocacy, PIH works to bring the benefits of modern science to those most in need. When a person in Peru, or Siberia, or rural Haiti falls ill, PIH uses all of the means at their disposal to make them well—from pressuring drug manufacturers, to lobbying policy makers, to providing medical care and social services. Whatever it takes. Just as we would do if a member of our own family—or we ourselves—were ill.

Additional resources
Support Partners in Health’s work in Haiti and elsewhere: www.pih.org or www.standwithhaiti.org.

For an inside look at Partners in Health, check out Tracy Kidder’s bestselling book, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World (Random House, 2003).

An interactive look at PSU’s community partnerships around the world: http://www.pdx.edu/partner/.