#  Joia S Mukherjee 

Associate Professor of Medicine & Associate Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, HMS

Division of Global Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Chief Medical Office, Partners in Health

 

 

 



   ![Joia Mukherjee is holding up a pair of roughed up sneakers covered in dirt.](/sites/g/files/omnuum11411/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/2026-05/67.Joia-S-Mukherjee-Questions.jpg?h=3545be04&itok=eOZUvkSX) 

 



 





 

**What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM?**  
What motivates me is the fact that I'm able to teach the next generation of physicians who really want to use their talents to treat and help poor people living all over the world. The truth is that access to modern medical care-the right to health care-has not been globalized. Whether we're looking at the Ebola crisis in Liberia, the dual HIV and TB epidemics in Lesotho, or the cholera outbreak in Haiti, we need to make long-term commitments to build health systems in these countries that prioritize equity and guarantee high-quality care for everyone, rich and poor. There isn't a quick fix; it takes time and it requires deep, meaningful partnerships. Wherever I go, I am surrounded by wonderful and committed colleagues from Partners In Health and Harvard Medical School who inspire and motivate me every day.

**Are there activities outside of your job at Harvard that you feel enrich or inform who you are as an individual at Harvard?**  
I serve as Chief Medical Officer for Partners In Health, a global health nonprofit that works to serve poor and vulnerable patients in Haiti, Rwanda, Malawi, Peru, and several other countries. The collaboration between Harvard Medical School and Partners In Health, a partnership that has now spanned nearly three decades, is truly incredible and allows me to teach all over the world. Harvard has been hugely supportive and is one of the most important allies we have in advancing the right to health. If I only worked for an NGO, I wouldn't get to teach in the same way, and I wouldn't get to really develop new knowledge that can help improve the delivery of health care for poor people. If I only worked at Harvard, I wouldn't fully understand the challenges front line health workers face. That Harvard Medical School allows me to teach in this way is terrific. I really appreciate it.

**What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot?**  
To achieve health equity, we have to travel far distances so we can reach those who need it most. And often times we have to go on foot. Whether in Central Haiti or rural Malawi, it's about taking the walk and trying to understand the experience that patients in remote and poor countries endure just to access care. Health equity is not about passively waiting for people to show up at a clinic or hospital —we have to go to them. And you can't do that in high heels at the Brigham.



 

 

 



 [ View all Dimensions of HMS participants arrow\_circle\_right ](https://occe.hms.harvard.edu/dimensions-harvard-medical-school) 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

- ## Person Categories
    
     [Dimensions](/person-categories/dimensions)
- ## Institution
    
     [Brigham and Women's Hospital](/institution/brigham-and-womens-hospital)