Hermide Mercier, MD, MPH, embodies the mission of Partners in Health (PIH), a global medical organization committed to improving the health of the poor. When children require complex, life-saving cancer treatment not available in their home countries, PIH brings them to the United States, often to the Mass General Cancer Center.
Since the early days of this program, entitled Right to Health Care, Dr. Mercier has been at its heart, drawing on her medical expertise and community knowledge to guide and accompany patients and their parents through treatment.
Many of the patients’ parents stay at Dr. Mercier’s home, where she treats them like members of her family. She provides or locates translation services, cooks dishes they would enjoy back home, and accompanies them in their vigils at their child’s bedside.
Dr. Mercier also hosts a weekly radio and TV program for Boston’s Haitian community that focuses on important health topics, from tuberculosis, HIV and high blood pressure to parenting and family cohesiveness.
