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Methods used by Farmer, et al include collecting data from the study done in Baltimor in the 1990's. They analyzed the statistics and observations found as main points of their argument. The model used in Haiti and the results from other methods implemented by physicians in those areas are also used as arguments to strengthen the article. 

The Disaster Resiliance Leadership Academy works to strengthen global humanitarian leadership. The goal of this is to allow for increased resilience in communities and among individuals impacted by natural or manmade disasters. They do this by addressing the causes of vulnerability such as poverty and social inequality. They are able to do this through education, research, and application. 

It's targeted to individuals who want to become leaders in times of disaster. Because this program targets the role and development of leadership and resilience as a means of producing adequate and effective outcomes, this program targets students who have high integrity and leadership skills. 

1. “…large­-scale social forces—racism, gender inequality, poverty, political violence and war, and sometimes the very policies that address them—often determine who falls ill and who has access to care.”
2. "the holy grail of modern medicine remains the search for the molecular basis of disease."
3. "In some senses, the model is simple: clinical and community barriers to care are removed as diagnosis and treatment are declared a public good and made available free of charge to patients living in poverty."
4. "The poor are the natural constituents of public health, and physicians ... are the natural attourneys of the poor."

1. I first did further research on Paul Farmer through the PIH website, as he is a cofounder. Through there I also looked at their story and mission to further my understanding of the organization. 
2. I looked into the Baltimore study further and read some anecdotes and stories about AIDS patients living in the Baltimore area and the circumstances under which they contracted HIV. The concept "survival sex" was used to describe situational circumstance that forced men and women into prostitution. These positions are tied to structural violence, as noted by Farmer in the article.
3. I read excerpts from one of Farmers other articles referenced in this one entitled, "The major infectious diseases in the world - to treat or not to treat?" This paper was studied among 6 countries and looked at the cure rates among patients with Tb and highlights the need of equal access to care around the world. 

The "core competencies" as the academy calls them, or the 5 academic pillars that are necessary for DRLA are: human & social factors, economics of disaster, encironment and infrastructure, disaster oprations, and measurement and evaluation. 

In this program, either a Master of Science or a certificate can be obtained. A Master's degree would require 36 credits that can be done in 2 years or in 3 semesters. 18 of these credits must come from core courses that highlight each of the academic pillars as well as 2 research-based courses. The other 18 come from electives, 6 of which must be DRLS. In order to obtain a certificate, 12 credit hours of coursework over 2 semesters is needed. These 12 should be composed of 4 core academic pillar courses.

The aim of this program is "to equip students with a skill-set in emergency preparedness, nonprofit leadership, disaster management, grass-root development, monitoring and evaluation and disaster risk and recovery".  Through this aim and other goals, the requirements for the program create graduates with the professional responsibility, ethical behavior, and integrity expected of leaders in this field. 

Delivering AIDS Care Equitably in the United States: AIDS became a disease that disproportionately affected the poor in America. A study done in Baltimore reported how racism and poverty were the cause of excess deaths among African Americans. Efforts were made by physicians to improve community-based care and to get physicians in impoverished areas providing high standard of care. By addressing monetary barriers between poor African Americans and healthcare, dramatic improvements were made and lives were saved. Further studies were done in rural Haiti and Rwanda, which implemented the "PIH model". This model was designed to prevent excess mortality due to AIDS by preventing poverty and social inequalities. It also focused on preventing transmission of the disease. Each of these studies proved to be successful and supported the concept that biosocial circumstances are just as vital to patient care as is the molecular basis of a disease. 

Several references are written by authors of this article, showing their expertise in the subject and the extension of previous thought. Their work with the PIH is the continuation with references used from studies mentioned in the paper. 

Because this is an academy, it does have tuition and fees. They are outlined as: Tuition, per credit hour: $981. Academic Support Fee, per semester: $420. Additional Fees (mandatory):$590 -- (Student Activity: $120, Health Center: $320, Reily Center: $150). Medical Insurance, per academic year: $3,030. Assuming people don't waive the medical insurance, take 16 credit hours (as is the norm for RPI), the yearly cost is: $20,156. 

The Provost's Office provides students up to $500 for travel needed to present a poster or paper at a conference. There are other opportunities to be granted money with the purpose of travel for conferences or training opportunities. 

Other than this information, I could not find who else would fund this academy. I can assume that Tulane takes on part of the burden as well as governmental agencies in their partner countries. 

The main argument of this article is that modern medicine searches only for the molecular basis of a disease and neglects the biosocial circumstances of a disease, which has allowed for discrepancy in treatment and spread of disease among rich and poor. This article discusses the concept of structural violence and how that has played a role in disease among the poor. The point of the author in this article is that if science and societies are able to address these issues, there would be a decrease in the spread of disease and an increase in prevention plans.