Elizabeth Pisani
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Pisani is the director of Ternyata Ltd., a public health consultancy based in London, UK. She is formerly a journalist and currently an epidemiologist best known for her work on HIV/AIDS, in particular for her controversial book The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels and the Business of AIDS.
), she graduated from Oxford University with an MA in classical Chinese in 1986. She then worked in Asia and Europe as a foreign correspondent for Reuters
, The Economist
and the Asia Times
. During that time she covered major political events such as the Tiananmen Square
demonstrations, the civil war in Aceh
, Indonesia, as well as a wide range of business stories.
(she subsequently received her PhD in Infectious Disease
Epidemiology from the same institution). Since then she has done research and worked as an advisor for the Ministries of Health of China, Indonesia, East Timor and the Philippines, and for organizations such as the UNAIDS, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
, World Bank
, and the World Health Organization
. Most of her work has focused on HIV
, sexually transmitted infections and sexual
and drug-taking
behaviour, and on building robust disease surveillance systems.
Pisani has written a wide variety of research papers and institutional reports on HIV/AIDS, include the first two editions of the biennial global report on AIDS for the United Nations programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), as well as technical manuals on disease surveillance and advocacy papers.
In 2008 she published The Wisdom of Whores, which argues that a substantial portion of the funding devoted to HIV/AIDS is wasted on ineffective programming, the result of science and good public health policy being trumped by politics, ideology, and "morality." For example, the U.S. spends $65 billion for HIV treatment and prevention in the developing world, but aid recipients, including entire governments, are forbidden from accepting, tolerating or legalizing prostitution, even though organizations of prostitutes are among the most effective ways to educate those most at risk. For prevention, recipients are forbidden from promoting anything but abstinence, even though abstinence has been demonstrated to fail in rigorous scientific studies. These regulations, writes Pisani, were imposed by former AIDS czar Randall L. Tobias
, who resigned after his phone number was found in the listing of a Washington escort service.
In 2009, The Wisdom of Whores was long-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize
for Non-fiction.
In 2009, she described the critical statements of Pope Benedict XVI on the use of condoms in AIDS prevention as "a shocker" and "clearly irrational"
In December 2009 the TED (conference)
announced that she would speak at the February 2010 event. The overall subject of the conference was "What the World Needs Now". Pisani spoke on Thursday February 11 during the fourth session, "Reason".
Education
Born in the United States and educated in several European countries (leaving her with fluent French and Spanish, to which she has since added Chinese and IndonesianIndonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
), she graduated from Oxford University with an MA in classical Chinese in 1986. She then worked in Asia and Europe as a foreign correspondent for Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
and the Asia Times
Asia Times
Asia Times was a newspaper launched in Thailand by Thai tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul in 1995. The newspaper hired talent from around the world to produce a regional English-language newspaper....
. During that time she covered major political events such as the Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
demonstrations, the civil war in Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
, Indonesia, as well as a wide range of business stories.
Public Health
In the early 1990s, Pisani changed professional course, taking an MSc in Medical Demography the London School of Hygiene & Tropical MedicineLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a constituent college of the federal University of London, specialising in public health and tropical medicine...
(she subsequently received her PhD in Infectious Disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
Epidemiology from the same institution). Since then she has done research and worked as an advisor for the Ministries of Health of China, Indonesia, East Timor and the Philippines, and for organizations such as the UNAIDS, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
, World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, and the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
. Most of her work has focused on HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, sexually transmitted infections and sexual
Human sexual behavior
Human sexual activities or human sexual practices or human sexual behavior refers to the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts from time to time, and for a wide variety of reasons...
and drug-taking
Recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
behaviour, and on building robust disease surveillance systems.
Pisani has written a wide variety of research papers and institutional reports on HIV/AIDS, include the first two editions of the biennial global report on AIDS for the United Nations programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), as well as technical manuals on disease surveillance and advocacy papers.
In 2008 she published The Wisdom of Whores, which argues that a substantial portion of the funding devoted to HIV/AIDS is wasted on ineffective programming, the result of science and good public health policy being trumped by politics, ideology, and "morality." For example, the U.S. spends $65 billion for HIV treatment and prevention in the developing world, but aid recipients, including entire governments, are forbidden from accepting, tolerating or legalizing prostitution, even though organizations of prostitutes are among the most effective ways to educate those most at risk. For prevention, recipients are forbidden from promoting anything but abstinence, even though abstinence has been demonstrated to fail in rigorous scientific studies. These regulations, writes Pisani, were imposed by former AIDS czar Randall L. Tobias
Randall L. Tobias
Randall L. Tobias is a former chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and Company who became the first United States Director of Foreign Assistance, and served concurrently as the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development , with the rank of Ambassador...
, who resigned after his phone number was found in the listing of a Washington escort service.
In 2009, The Wisdom of Whores was long-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize
Samuel Johnson Prize
The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction is one of the most prestigious prizes for non-fiction writing. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award and based on an anonymous donation. The prize is named after Samuel Johnson...
for Non-fiction.
In 2009, she described the critical statements of Pope Benedict XVI on the use of condoms in AIDS prevention as "a shocker" and "clearly irrational"
In December 2009 the TED (conference)
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
announced that she would speak at the February 2010 event. The overall subject of the conference was "What the World Needs Now". Pisani spoke on Thursday February 11 during the fourth session, "Reason".
External links
- Teyata Ltd. Public Health Consultancy. Eliabeth Pisani, Director
- Elizabeth Pisani's blog on AIDS, sexuality, health policy and much else
- Interview in The Guardian, May 13 2008
- Book review in The Observer, May 18, 2008
- Book review in The Economist, May 1, 2008
- AIDS in Asia: Face the Facts: A Comprehensive Analysis of the AIDS Epidemics in Asia. Published by the Mapping the AIDS Pandemic Network, 2004
- UNAIDS official website
- 'More Sex, Less HIV?' video of Elizabeth Pisani discussing a drop in HIV cases in countries which show a rise in premarital sex
- Dutch feature video on Elizabeth Pisani
- Elizabeth Pisani's promotional video for The Wisdom of Whores
- List of TED 2010 speakers
- Elizabeth Pisani's presentation at the TED 2010 conference: "Sex, drugs, and HIV – Let's Get Rational"