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Transforming health & livelihoods: Paul Farmer Award for Dr Lalitha Regi & Dr Regi George

Starting from a small thatched hut that served as their first clinic, they worked alongside the local tribal community to build what is now a 35-bed hospital and network of trained health workers.

3 min readPuneNov 11, 2025 08:23 PM IST

paul farmer award,Dr Lalitha Regi & Dr Regi George, pune,

Through sustained engagement by Dr Regi George (left) and Dr Lalitha Regi, infant mortality rate has reduced to 8 per 1,000, with no maternal deaths in 15 years. (Express photo)

For Dr Lalitha Regi and Dr Regi George, named co-recipients of the 2025 Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, the recognition holds immense significance in the world of public health.

“We are deeply honoured to receive this award. The Sittilingi model is rooted in community participation and will inspire more doctors to serve in rural areas,” Dr George told The Indian Express. The model also includes ecological sustainability and culturally respectful care that will inspire more doctors to serve in rural areas across India and globally, Dr Regi added.

In his advice to young doctors, Dr Regi said there was as much challenge or even more in rural healthwork as there is in any fancy specialties in the city. “If you have it in you, that is the place to go,” he said.

Their journey began when they arrived in Sittilingi Valley, Tamil Nadu, in 1993. The area’s health indicators were among the worst in India: infant mortality rate 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 community to build what is now a 35-bed hospital and network of trained health workers.

Their sustained engagement has helped reduce infant mortality rate to 8 per 1,000, with no maternal deaths in 15 years. Recognising 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.

The couple has spent over three decades advancing health equity and social justice through the Tribal Health Initiative (THI) and 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.

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“The story of Sittilingi Valley is one of transformations through solidarity,” Dr Robert Platt, Director of McGill School of Population and Global Health, said, adding 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.

According to Dr Madhukar Pai, Chair of McGill’s Department of Global and Public Health, the Paul Farmer Lectureship and Award for Global Health Equity, was set up by McGill in 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 marginalised communities.

Each year, the award recognises an individual or couple whose life’s work embodies Dr Farmer’s vision of a “preferential option for the poor”. “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,” Dr Pai added.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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