(BOSTON, APRIL 21, 2016) — TIME named Dr. Raj Panjabi of Last Mile Health to the 2016 TIME 100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The full list and related tributes appear in the May 2 issue of TIME, available on newsstands on Friday, April 22, and now at time.com/time100.
The list, now in its thirteenth year, recognizes the activism, innovation, and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals. As TIME Editor Nancy Gibbs has said of the list in the past, “The TIME 100 is a list of the world’s most influential men and women, not its most powerful, though those are not mutually exclusive terms. While power is certain, influence is subtle. As much as this exercise chronicles the achievements of the past year, we also focus on figures whose influence is likely to grow, so we can look around the corner to see what is coming.”
Dr. Panjabi is CEO of Last Mile Health, an international non-governmental organization working to save lives in the world’s most remote communities, and an Associate Physician in the Division of Global Health Equity at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Born in Liberia, Dr. Panjabi fled the country’s civil war at the age of nine. He returned in 2005 as a physician to help rebuild the nation’s health system. For more than a decade, Dr. Panjabi has worked tirelessly to advance access to healthcare for Liberia’s most remote people. In 2007, he co-founded Last Mile Health, which today works alongside the Liberia Ministry of Health to provide access to healthcare for those living in remote communities too far from the country’s health facilities to access care.
Dr. Panjabi and Last Mile Health were on the frontlines of the Liberia Ebola crisis and today are working with the Government of Liberia to ensure every remote community in Liberia has access to a community health worker to mitigate future outbreaks, fight poverty, and prevent unnecessary deaths.
Dr. Panjabi responded to TIME’s announcement by saying, “I am truly humbled by this honor, which I dedicate to my team at Last Mile Health and to all of the health workers around the world providing access to lifesaving care for people living in isolated communities.” Learn more about Dr. Raj Panjabi and the work of Last Mile Health at www.lastmilehealth.org.
Follow TIME for updates about the list on Twitter, Facebook.com/TIME and Instagram using #TIME100.
Founded by the survivors of Liberia’s civil war, Last Mile Health saves lives in the world’s most remote communities. The organization specializes in the development and management of professionalized Community Health Workers who bridge the gap between health systems and remote communities, bringing critical services to the doorsteps of people living in the last mile. Last Mile Health’s programs are implemented hand-in-hand with community members, local government officials, national policy makers, and global partners to ensure sustainable impact. Last Mile Health is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization with offices in Liberia, Boston and New York. For more information, visit www.lastmilehealth.org.