Jhpiego News Release - Jhpiego and Global Health Council sponsor panel on women's reproductive health

Baltimore, Md. – On Friday, September 12, 2003, from 9:00-12:30, at the National Press Club, Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, continues its series of 30th anniversary celebrations with a panel presentation on women's reproductive health. Chief Executive Officer Dr. Leslie Mancuso, R.N., will talk about Jhpiego's work in reproductive health, maternal and neonatal health, HIV/AIDS, and human capacity development, and introduce the panelists, honored by Jhpiego for their Leadership in Women's Health. Global Health Council President and CEO Dr. Nils Daulaire will offer highlights of work going on around the globe on women's reproductive health. Panelists (please see bios below) will highlight their professional and personal experiences.

"The Continuum of Women's Reproductive Health: Voices from the Field," features a panel of healthcare experts and leaders from countries around the globe. The panelists, who are to be honored at a Congressional reception marking Jhpiego's 30th anniversary on Wednesday, September 10, for Jhpiego's 2003 Leadership in Health awards, include:

Prof. Khunying Kobchitt Limpaphayom, Chulalongkorn University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bangkok, Thailand

Ms. Soekir Soekaemi, Midwife, Maternal and Neonatal Health and Infection Prevention, Surabaya, Indonesia

Dr. Peter Figueroa, Chief, Epidemiology and AIDS, Ministry of Health, Kingston, Jamaica

Ms. Antonia Morales Tomín, Health Promoter, Solola, Guatemala

Ms. Jane Namasasu, Deputy Director, Clinical and Population Services, Ministry of Health and Population, Lilongwe, Malawi

Dr. Hajera Baharestani, Faisabad Hospital, Faisabad, Badakhshan, Afghanistan

Also presenting will be Dr. Harshad Sanghvi, medical director for Jhpiego's Maternal and Neonatal Health Program, who will discuss approaches to improving health for women and their families.

Panelist Bios

Professor Khunying Kobchitt Limpaphayom is an obstetrician/gynecologist whose academic focus and professional commitment has centered on issues in reproductive health. For more than 30 years, she has been involved in research and program implementation for obstetric emergencies, safe motherhood, family planning, cancer prevention and menopause. Professor Khunying Limpaphayom is former Secretary General of the Royal Thai College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Professor Khunying Limpaphayom pioneered innovative training approaches in reproductive health and recently directed an innovative, groundbreaking project involving the prevention and detection of cervical cancer, the leading cause of cancer death among Thai women. She is currently a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, where she designed and implemented an innovative menopause program leading to policy changes for well-woman care throughout Thailand. Professor Khunying Limpaphayom is a dynamic leader who has dedicated her professional career to the betterment of women’s health around the world.

Ms. Soekir Soekaemi is an active midwife with clinical, training, and leadership skills. Leader of the East Java branch of the Indonesian Midwives Association, she heads the IBI maternity hospital in Surabaya. Since 1998, she has been instrumental in developing and promoting the Basic Delivery Care services and training in Indonesia. Basic Delivery Care has become the national standard of practice for maternal and newborn health. A Jhpiego-trained professional, she has trained hundreds of midwives in both clinical skills and training skills. Ms. Soekaemi has been instrumental in introducing innovative training approaches at midwifery schools in Indonesia. Because of her strong technical and leadership skills, Ms. Soekaemi has also been assisting organizations in East Timor to conduct training of midwives and nurses. In Indonesia, Ms. Soekaemi is a recognized leader in the field of maternal and child health. Her clinical, training, and leadership skills, combined with her continued efforts to learn and improve, are an inspiration to other health professionals, especially to midwives.

Dr. Peter Figueroa, Chief of Epidemiology and HIV/AIDS, National HIV/STI program in Jamaica, is a leader in HIV/AIDS care, practices, and treatment. Dr. Figueroa is committed to making HIV/AIDS care and treatment available in the public sector, while also paying close attention to HIV/AIDS prevention activities. Because of Dr. Figueroa’s dedication, HIV prevalence in Jamaica is among the lowest in the Caribbean region and stands as a great success in the face of predictions that called for the Jamaican and the eastern Caribbean HIV/AIDS epidemic to spiral. Dr. Figueroa’s determination to conquer the health challenges facing the Jamaican population serves as a model to health leaders around the world.

Ms. Antonia Morales Tomín, a community leader and reproductive health advocate, serves as the President of the Health Committee of Las Canoas, Municipality of San Andrés Semetabaj, Sololá, Guatemala. In addition, she provides additional support to the local population by working as a health promoter for the Golden Child Project. Ms. Tomín regularly provides home visits to pregnant women and gives educational talks to mothers about the importance of maintaining their health. Recently, she worked to establish an emergency plan in her community that provides transportation and support for women suffering from pregnancy complications. Her efforts have contributed to saving the lives of countless women within her community.

Ms. Jane Namasasu, a nurse midwife with a special focus on community development, is deputy director of Clinical and Population Services responsible for reproductive health in the Malawian Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP). In this position, she plays a key role in making sure the objectives outlined in the national sexual and reproductive health program are met. With Ms. Namasasu’s guidance, Malawi’s MoHP has made a number of key advancements in improving the quality of women’s reproductive health. The past few years have seen the development and dissemination of a national reproductive health policy and reproductive health service delivery guidelines. In addition, Malawi has experienced an increase in the use of modern contraceptive methods from 14% in 1996 to 26% in 2000. Ms. Namasasu, a dynamic Malawian reproductive health leader, has also been instrumental in the introduction and expansion of postabortion care services as well as fully supported and participated in the launch of a national program to prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV. Under her excellent leadership and guidance, the quality of health services provided to women in Malawi has seen dramatic improvements.

Dr. Hajera Baharestani and her team of nine comprise the entire medical staff at the Faizabad Maternity Hospital in Badakhshan, Afghanistan. Due to lack of qualified staff and limited resources, Dr. Hajera Baharestani works countless hours to provide healthcare to women in a facility lit by oil lamps and plagued with unreliable heat. The four-ward hospital where she works, the only one of its kind in the province, serves a population of one million people. In the first three months of 2003, Dr. Hajera Baharestani and her staff brought nearly 400 newborns into the world, yet Dr. Hajera Baharestani earns just $36 a month. Despite such day-to-day difficulties, Dr. Hajera Baharestani has remained committed to her work, driven by the needs of those who need her assistance. She said, "We always say there are many women who need us; we feel that we must continue, despite the difficulties. We have to go on, if only for these women."

About Jhpiego
For 35 years, Jhpiego, (pronounced "ja-pie-go"), has empowered front-line health workers by designing and implementing simple, low-cost, hands-on solutions that strengthen the delivery of health care services, following the household-to-hospital continuum of care. We partner with community- to national-level organizations to build sustainable, local capacity through advocacy, policy and guidelines development, and quality and performance improvement approaches.