Denise Grady, reporter, New York Times
Denise Grady is an award-winning reporter for the science news department of The New York Times. Ms. Grady has written more than 500 stories about medicine and biology for The Times, and has edited Times books on women's health and alternative medicine. Recently, she authored articles on women’s healthcare in Tanzania, focusing on maternal and child healthcare.
Dallas Brennan Rexer, producer, No Woman, No Cry
Dallas Brennan Rexer has been producing social-issue documentary films for over ten years. While at Big Mouth Productions/Arts Engine, Inc. she produced five award-winning documentary films. Her most recent project is No Woman, No Cry, a gripping documentary directed by Christy Turlington Burns that shares the powerful stories of at-risk pregnant women in four parts of the world, including a remote Maasai tribe in Tanzania.
Ann Starrs, Executive Director, Family Care International
Ann Starrs is co-founder and president of Family Care International, a non-governmental organization dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safer in the developing world. Ann is widely recognized as a leading advocate and technical expert on maternal health, and currently is co-chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health and member of steering committees and advisory boards for a broad range of international maternal and reproductive health initiatives.
Moderator: Lee Wells, Executive Director, The Touch Foundation
Lee Wells is the Executive Director of the Touch Foundation, an organization focused on training new healthcare workers and strengthening the health system in the Lake Zone region of Tanzania.
We are also in the process of confirming an additional panelist with extensive clinical experience in obstetrics in East Africa.
Globally, childbirth is the leading killer of young women. More than 500,000 women die each year from pregnancy or birth-related complications. 99% of maternal deaths are in developing countries. In fact, if a woman receives access to pre-natal care and a trained healthcare worker is present when a woman gives birth, maternal deaths decrease dramatically. In Tanzania, fewer than 50% of women have access to a doctor, nurse or skilled medical worker. The Touch Foundation is working to address this dire shortage of healthcare workers in Tanzania. Your participation in our event is a significant part of advancing our mission and raising awareness for our work in Tanzania
