Once you know, you are responsible: the road from scholar to activist.

Conventional wisdom usually argues that academic research should be conducted with the highest level of objectivity possible. I seek to turn that argument on its head and suggest that taking sides, even pursuing activist tactics, in support of our subjects' goals may be not only desirable but also the most ethical option. Drawing on my own experiences with research and activism in HIV/AIDS, first in the United States and later in East Africa, I present the case for the mutually beneficial relationship between scholarship and activism.

Push, pull, and reverse: self-interest, responsibility, and the global health care worker shortage.

The world is suffering from a dearth of health care workers, and sub-Saharan Africa, an area of great need, is experiencing the worst shortage. Developed countries are making the problem worse by luring health care workers away from the countries that need them most, while developing countries do not have the resources to stem the flow or even replace those lost. Postmodern philosopher Emmanuel Levinas offers a unique ethical framework that is helpful in assessing both the irresponsibility inherent in the current global health care situation and the responsibility and obligation held by the stakeholders involved in this global crisis. Drawing on Levinas' exploration of individual freedom and self-pursuit, infinite responsibility for the Other, and the potential emergence of a just community, we demonstrate its effectiveness in explaining the health care worker crisis, and we argue in favor of a variety of policy and development assistance measures that are grounded in an orientation of non-indifference toward Others.