PIH’s community-based model has helped to redefine what’s possible in health care delivery in settings of poverty, proving that HIV, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and other diseases can be effectively treated in communities from Peru to Rwanda. Under Dahl’s leadership, PIH’s revenue increased tenfold to more than $100 million per year. And she helped the organization navigate challenges with existential implications for both PIH and the millions of patients it serves. Dahl’s answers to strategic questions — such as whether and under what conditions to accept public-sector funds; with what kinds of governments to partner; and how to reconcile the necessity of crisis response and the crucial, long-term work of building health systems — reflect her vision and exemplary leadership.

A sought-after writer and speaker, Dahl calls for courage in the face of problems that seem intractable. “Don’t do this thing where you say, ‘Well I don’t know that that can be done,’” she tells us. “Instead, say, ‘I’m not going to stand for that.’ You push. You push, push, push.” PIH’s successes reflect this ethos. The organization has often worked far outside the typical bounds of a health-focused organization, providing care in regions others had written off and making critical investments in infrastructure and basic necessities while pioneering the practice of accompaniment.

On a global scale, PIH has defied the prevailing wisdom on providing health care to the poor, using both data — the remarkable clinical results of their community-based, on-the-ground work — and a persuasive ethical case. As a New Yorker profile described, Dahl has been able to convince some of the world’s most powerful and fortunate people that they have “a moral obligation to investigate — and compensate for — the suffering that underlies their comfort.”

To Dahl, being pessimistic is unacceptable: it is “just about the most privileged thing you can be,” she says. “You are basically deciding that there’s no hope for a whole group of people who can’t afford to think that way.”

Radcliffe Day will include a panel of internationally recognized experts on a theme related to the work of the Radcliffe Medalist. This year’s focus will be on the essential role of women leaders in global health. The panel will explore the critical importance of women leaders in global health, probe links between disparate health outcomes for women and girls and the dearth of women leaders in the field, and consider how best to address persistent gender gaps in global health leadership. The research and treatment of health issues specific to women consistently receive less support than those particular to men, while women and girls face unique barriers to health care access and experience significant disparities in health outcomes. In this context, it is striking — but perhaps not surprising — to note that while women make up the vast majority of the global health workforce, they comprise a small minority among the world’s most prominent health leaders.

“The Essential Role of Women Leaders in Global Health” will be moderated by Jacqueline Bhabha. Panelists include Agnes Binagwaho, Natalia Kanem ’76, and Reema Nanavaty. Following the panel discussion, Chelsea Clinton will offer a testimonial to Dahl’s remarkable work and impact, and then Dahl will engage in a keynote conversation with the author and PIH trustee John Green, whose bestselling books include “The Fault in Our Stars” and other titles that have been adapted for film and streaming. Brown-Nagin, RI ’17 will formally present the 2023 Radcliffe Medal. 

For more information on the Radcliffe Medal and Radcliffe Day including registration, visit the website.