Spotlight: Giorgio Solimano — A Life Dedicated to Public Health and Human Rights

In honor of Human Rights Day, celebrated annually on December 10, we share the story of Giorgio Solimano, a renowned Chilean physician, public health expert, and human rights advocate, who spent 12 transformative years at Columbia University. His career represents a unique blend of academic excellence and social justice advocacy. 

Before his exile, Solimano was a pivotal figure in Chile’s efforts to combat malnutrition. He led the “Medio Litro de Leche” (Half Liter of Milk) program under President Salvador Allende’s Unidad Popular government, providing free milk to hundreds of thousands of children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. This initiative significantly reduced malnutrition rates. Reflecting on its impact, Solimano noted: "The program made it possible to combat poor nutrition that produced serious levels of malnutrition, affecting children’s growth and learning. Milk was chosen because it was widely available, and its consumption was an already established habit in the population."

The 1973 military coup abruptly ended these efforts. Solimano was imprisoned and tortured for his work with the Allende administration. With support from public health scholars such as Nevin Scrimshaw at MIT and Myron Winick at Columbia University, he was released and exiled to the United States.

In 1976, Solimano joined Columbia’s Institute of Human Nutrition. Over the next decade, his research spanned topics such as the effects of malnutrition on child development in Barbados and Cuba’s strategies for reducing infant mortality. Leading a Columbia research team, he analyzed Cuba’s success in combating diarrheal diseases in infants, an achievement he considered among his most significant contributions: "I consider raising awareness of the public health issues in Latin America and the Caribbean to be one of my greatest achievements at Columbia."

Beyond his academic pursuits, Solimano became a leading voice in the fight for human rights and for publicly denouncing the massive violations occurring in Chile under the Pinochet regime. He played a key role in founding the Social Policy Center for Latin America, a collaboration between the Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, and the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), dedicated to addressing social and economic inequalities in the region.

Partnering with organizations like Amnesty International and Chile Democrático—a group that, between 1973 and 1988, coordinated global solidarity with the Chilean people and worked with international organizations and governments to defend human rights and restore democracy—he organized cultural events featuring renowned Chilean artists, raising funds to support victims of the Pinochet dictatorship and their families. These efforts, which received strong support from within Columbia’s faculty and students, garnered significant media attention: “We ran a campaign denouncing torture in Chile. We were successful, as it was covered in the New York Times, and former detainees and tortured people were interviewed on TV. That exposure impacted millions of people.”

Solimano's commitment to social justice extended beyond academic circles. He served as an advisor to the Pan American Health Organization and UNICEF, sharing his expertise and contributing to global public health initiatives. His contributions to the field were recognized with a promotion to full professorship after only four years at Columbia, solidifying his position as a leading scholar and advocate.

In 1988, he returned to Chile, resuming his work in public health and human rights. He held significant positions, including planning and budget division head at the Ministry of Health, board member of the Chilean Commission on Human Rights, and director of the School of Public Health at Universidad de Chile, where he remains a full professor.

Solimano has maintained strong ties to Columbia University, serving as a senior visiting lecturer at Mailman between 2013 and 2018 and as an advisory board member of the Columbia Global Center Santiago. Reflecting on his time at Columbia, he remarked: "I cherish my 12 years at Columbia dearly and am grateful that I can continue my academic endeavors and engage more directly in greater missions back home in Chile."

Giorgio Solimano’s lifelong dedication to public health and social justice remains an inspiration to scholars and activists worldwide. Read more about his life and work in chapter 5 of our “Columbia University and Chile: Over 100 Years of History” book.