Didi Bertrand Farmer is a medical anthropologist and community health specialist who also has a career as a writer and activist. She is well-known for being the wife of Dr. Paul Farmer and is probably in her late 50s or early 60s as of this writing (2022)
While her immense contributions to her professional field and the communities she has worked in stamp her repute and prominence, it was her marriage to Farmer that earned her public recognition. Paul was a public figure; an American medical anthropologist and physician.
He was well recognized for the milestones he attained in his career, as well as his humanitarian endeavors in different parts of the world through his co-founded organization, Partners in Health. Sadly, Dr. Paul Farmer passed away on February 21, 2022. He died in his sleep from an acute cardiac event in Rwanda, at 62 years of age. The following are the things we know about his wife, Didi Bertrand Farmer.
Profile Summary of Didi Bertrand Farmer
- Full Name: Didi Bertrand Farmer
- Gender: Female
- Place of Birth: Port au-Prince, Haiti
- Date of Birth: Unknown
- Didi Bertrand Farmer’s Age: 50-60 years old (Est.)
- Ethnicity: Afro Cuban
- Nationality: American
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Widowed
- Didi Bertrand Farmer’s Husband: Dr. Paul Farmer
- Duration of Marriage: 1996 – 2022
- Didi Bertrand Farmer’s Children: Three (Sebastian, Elizabeth, and Catherine Farmer)
- Didi Bertrand Farmer’s Height: 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm/1.70m)
- Famous for: Marriage to Dr. Paul Farmer
Dr. Paul Farmer’s Wife Is Originally from Haiti
Didi Bertrand Farmer’s age isn’t known at the moment. Some sources estimate her to be between 58 and 60 years old. This is not far from the truth; however, we are not certain about her precise date of birth. This is not the case with her late husband whom we can confirm was born on the 26th of October 1959. He died on the 21st of February 2022 at age 62.
Dr. Paul Farmer was born in North Adams, Massachusetts. He spent some of his early life in Alabama but was mostly raised in Weeki Wachee, Florida. So he has always been a citizen of the United States of America. Can the same be said about his widow? Well, we know that Didi Bertrand Farmer was not born in the United States.
What We Know About Didi Bertrand Farmer’s Family Background
Reports have it that she was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti. Didi was born to Cuban parents, so she is Cuban. And looking at her, one needs not be told that she’s Afro Cuban. She lived and completed her basic and teenage years of education in her hometown.
Didi Bertrand Farmer has not revealed much of her personal information and she has also had few media appearances except in regard to her profession. As such we are unable to come by many details about her parents and siblings.
As for the family she got through marriage ties, her brother-in-law Jeff Farmer is a former professional wrestler. Her mother-in-law Mrs. Ginn is late and her father-in-law, Mr. Paul St., is also late. Paul was a high school mathematics teacher and one-time salesman.
Didi’s Education and What She Does for a Living
Didi Bertrand Farmer obtained her MA, DEA, and DESS, in Haiti and France. Her studies were in Social Science, Community Health, and Health Systems Administration. Apart from working as a health specialist and anthropologist, she’s also an author and researcher. Dr. Paul Farmer’s wife has published several articles on Reproductive Health, Health Education, Community Health, Health Equity, and HIV prevention.
In addition to the foregoing, Didi has also worked with Partners in Health, a non-organization co-founded by her late husband Paul Farmer in 1987. Partners in Health have provided health care and helped establish healthcare systems in some of the poorest parts of the developing countries.
Didi worked with Partners in Health in Rwanda as the Director of Community Health Program. She maintained and managed the responsibility from 2006 to 2012. She has also served as the Senior Advisor on Community Health and heads Biosocial Research Programs in the organization since 2012.
Most notably, she is the founder of the Women and Girls Initiative, an organization with the aim to foster gender equality and empower women and girls through education, training, economic assistance, research, advocacy, and more. In Rwanda, where she has spent much of her career years, and in Haiti, the organization offers scholarships, leadership training, and other humanitarian support to young women and girls.
Didi Bertrand Farmer and Dr. Paul Farmer Got Married in 1996 and Had Three Kids
Dr. Paul Farmer and Didi Bertrand Farmer exchanged wedding vows in 1996. There hasn’t been a disclosure of how they met and the love story leading to marriage. Seeing, however, the similarities and interwovenness of their professional lives, it is likely they met while in the pursuit of their respective careers and decided to share and live out their visions together.
Didi Bertrand played and still plays key administrative roles in Dr. Paul Farmer’s co-founded organization; they worked in the same locations, and both shared an interest in the betterment of human lives through adequate health care, educational empowerment, and financial assistance, especially to impoverished societies.
The couple had three kids during their marriage; a son, and two daughters. The name of their son is Sebastian Farmer, and their daughters are Elizabeth Farmer and Catherine Farmer. Sources say, Catherine, like her mother, is an activist.
