Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Sanjay Gupta: (on amenities he would place near by a city to make it livable) Too many of our cities are built with an eye toward commerce, instead of health. As a result, we have parking structures instead of parks and roads instead of walkways. There are plenty of examples where you can do both. Healthier cities are successful cities. I would focus on increasing the amount of green space, because it is good for the earth and for our own bodies. I might buy thousands of bikes, paint them a really ugly color (so people wouldn't steal them...) and simply distribute them around a city. I would paint quarter mile markers on every walkway, so citizens could always have feedback on how far they are walking. I would also want to see urban gardens like they have in the south side of Chicago. Teaching my kids to garden would provide immeasurable rewards both for them and for their community.

Sanjay Gupta: (on innovations he has encountered that are making a difference) There are so many examples out there. I did have a chance to see first hand the One Laptop Per Child organization that Nicholas Negroponte put forward. It is bold and forward thinking, and a colleague of Negroponte's even used the analogy of comparing these computers to vaccinations. They are, after all, life-making tools. The laptop project also encourages literacy...which of course has health benefits too, since people are able to share health information.

Sanjay Gupta: (on worldchanging doctors he knows that are making a difference) Paul Farmer is one of the most remarkable and selfless doctors I have met. He has built free health clinics where nobody thought they could work. He has saved and improved countless lives by using the existing infrastructures in places like Haiti and Rwanda and improving upon them. He is also a relentless public health advocate, and is redefining health diplomacy.