Ep. 22: The UN’s Top Doc Checks Out, Returning to Australia

PassBlue UN Podcasts

Dr. Jillann Farmer has managed her share of crises as United Nations medical director, such as the Ebola outbreak in 2014 in West Africa and the Syrian chemical attacks that occurred in the country soon after that epidemic. Last winter, Dr. Farmer was ready to move on to a new job after 7 years at the UN to return to her native Australia, when the coronavirus pandemic quickly incapacitated New York City, putting the thousands of UN employees working at the Headquarters at risk. In this exclusive interview, from Australia, Dr. Farmer shares her perspective on the UN's preparedness and response to the pandemic, particularly in New York City, the epicenter of the virus in the United States. As she says, the crisis forced the UN medical team to contend with the biggest emergency response they has ever known, right at home. Links: PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com PassBlue's Twitter: @pass_blue Facebook: @PassBlueUN ----- Support for UN-Scripted comes from the Partnership for Transparency, a group of volunteer experts working to advance good governance and fight corruption in poor countries. Now, more than ever, health systems face major capacity challenges in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This makes many countries vulnerable to mismanagement and corruption as governments and aid agencies pursue ambitious programs to fight the disease. PTF’s rapid response programs empower local civil society groups to monitor aid distribution, ensuring that aid efficiently reaches the people who need it most and creating long lasting improvements in public health systems. To learn more about PTF’s work or to start a conversation about how to increase citizen engagement in your own projects, visit ptfund.org. ----- UN-Scripted is supported by Fordham University's Master of Science in Humanitarian Studies, an innovative program dedicated exclusively to the theory and practice of international humanitarian response. Built on social justice values and humanitarian principles, this 30-credit graduate program will prepare you with the skills you need to launch or advance your career in humanitarian action. Evening and online classes are offered at Fordham's Rose Hill campus in the Bronx, New York, as well as at the Lincoln Center campus located in midtown-Manhattan. Applications for fall 2020 are being accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, visit fordham.edu/mshs.