Paul Farmer, the subject of the UW common book selection Mountains Beyond Mountains, talked about his experiences working with communities across the world last night in Kane Hall. Farmer, a medical doctor, has dedicated his life to lessening the disparities caused by illnesses that disproportionately affect the poor.

"[I] was thrilled to have him engage with students," said Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean for undergraduate academic affairs. "[The book] was a wonderful example of intellectual engagement and social engagement."

The lecture is part of a larger project, or as Farmer said, a campaign to encourage student involvement in social justice and the different social institutions.

"Tracy Kidder's book Mountains Beyond Mountains was chosen from among 25 others because it met the criteria for being teachable, readable, thought-provoking and it discussed public involvement" Taylor said.

Farmer talked about the many sides of health including working with patients in Haiti, Rwanda and Lesotho, analyzing the real implications of cost-effective treatments, transforming his health treatment models and, throughout his work, dealing with issues of social justice.

"He was a good orator and got his ideas across well," said junior Huy Pham.

Farmer's work specializes in infectious disease, but in his talk he encouraged students to get involved at all levels. He talked about how Mountains Beyond Mountains created positive change.

"It wasn't the way you think it would," he said. "It led to increased interest on a public level, which led to a policy environment. This led to the creation of new funds to research and treat AIDS."

Rachel Fuijimoto, a freshman involved with SeaMar, a community health clinic, said the number of volunteers after the event was significant compared to before the event.

"We went from about five volunteers to over a page full," she said. "I've recently begun volunteering [at SeaMar] and it's great to see that Farmer's talk has inspired more people to get involved."

Nancy Mills, from the Haitian Health Allies, also found that more students signed up to volunteer after the event.

"I had so many that we ran out of volunteer jobs," Mills said. "But that's great. Now we can do more things."

Farmer said he was excited about the global health interest in Seattle and the UW in general.

"It's about transformation," he said, "and it's about community involvement."

Contributing writer Chris Paredes: news@thedaily.washington.edu