Wikipedia

Jill Sheffield

Jill Sheffield is a prominent advocate for women's sexual and reproductive health and rights, with a focus on reducing global maternal mortality. She is the founder of Women Deliver[1][2], a global organization committed to advancing maternal health and gender equality through advocacy, education, and community engagement. [3]

Jill Sheffield
Jill Sheffield (left) at 21 Leaders Honorees
Born
Jill Sheffield
EducationBachelor of Arts in Education, Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) (1961); Master of Arts in Comparative and International Education, Columbia University (1963)
Known forAdvocating internationally for women's sexual & reproductive rights as well as decreased maternal mortality
Notable workFounder of Women Deliver

Biography

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Sheffield earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1961 from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University)[4] and a Master of Arts in Comparative and International Education in 1963 from Columbia University.[5][6]

She began her career in reproductive health after recognising the severe challenges women face in accessing healthcare.[citation needed]

She volunteered at the Pumwani Maternity Hospital's family planning clinic in Kenya in the 1960s,[7] the first such clinic in East Africa.[8] At the time, Kenyan women were legally required to obtain their husbands’ permission to use contraception.[7] This inspired Sheffield to shift her career focus from teaching towards advocating for women's reproductive, sexual and mother's rights.[9][10] Sheffield served as director of the Carnegie Corporation of New York's International Program[1][5] and as director of Africa and Latin America programs and regional representative for World Education.[11]

In 1987, Sheffield co-founded Family Care International (FCI),[1][6] a non-profit global organization focused on improving the maternal health of women in the world's poorest nations. Sheffield was the president for 20 years.[9] FCI was the first international organization founded specifically to focus on maternal mortality[12], family planning and reproductive rights. FCI was also integrated into Management Sciences for Health in 2015.[3]

In 2007, Sheffield founded Women Deliver,[1][2] which began as a conference focused on maternal health that evolved into an advocacy organization.[13] It seeks to generate political commitment and financial investment to reduce maternal mortality and increase access to reproductive health.[14] In 2016, Sheffield retired from the organization.[15]

In 2011, Sheffield served as one of 30 commissioners on the UN Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health.[5] Sheffield has been involved with the International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region,[5][7] and Population Communications International.[16] Sheffield has been chair of Woman Care Global (now Catalyst Global),[5] chair of the FIGO Committee on Contraception and Family Planning,[17] external advisor to the IPPF Governing Council,[5] and senior adviser to Global Health Strategies.[5] In 2018, Sheffield was named a board member of Catalyst Global (formerly WCG Cares).[5]

Honors & Recognition

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The American Public Health Association granted Sheffield its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008,[18] the same year that Family Care International received the United Nations Population Award for outstanding work in sexual and reproductive health and rights.[19][20] Sheffield has also been recognized as a distinguished alumna by Columbia University's Teachers College.[6]

Along with Melinda Gates, Sheffield was awarded the 2016 Champions for Change Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Jill Sheffield Fights for Moms Worldwide". VOA. 2010-03-14. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  2. ^ a b Margaret MacDonald, Debra Pascali Bonaro, & Robbie Davis-Floyd (2014-06-01). "Anthropological Engagement at a Global Women's Health Conference: A Report on the Women Deliver Conference, Kuala Lumpur 2013". Anthropology in Action. 21 (2): 37–41. doi:10.3167/aia.2014.210206.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b "Family Care International (FCI)". Healthy Newborn Network. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  4. ^ "Awards History". Rowan Alumni. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "WCG Welcomes Jill Sheffield to its Board of Directors". PR Newswire. 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  6. ^ a b c "Distinguished Alumni Awards Presented at November Dinner". Teachers College Columbia University. 2003-12-01. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  7. ^ a b c Das, Pamela (2007-10-13). "Jill Sheffield: Nurturing safe motherhood". The Lancet. 370 (9595): 1308. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61566-9. PMID 17933639. S2CID 7497364.
  8. ^ "About » Staff". Women Deliver. Archived from the original on 2012-02-23. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  9. ^ a b Jill Sheffield. "Women Deliver : Delivering Solutions for Girls and Women" (PDF). Womendeliver.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  10. ^ Adam Phillips (2010-03-15). "Jill Sheffield Fights for Moms Worldwide | American Profiles | English". Voanews.com. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  11. ^ "Jill Sheffield's blog". Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  12. ^ "FCI: History of Achievement and Impact". Familycareintl.org. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  13. ^ "Our History". Women Deliver. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  14. ^ "About". Women Deliver. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
  15. ^ "Delivering for Girls and Women: Lifetime Achievement Award for Jill Sheffield". Women Deliver. 2016-06-14. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  16. ^ "Jill Sheffield". Rewire News Group. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  17. ^ "The role of contraception within women's rights". FIGO International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2018-05-28. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  18. ^ "Awards: The Carl S. Shultz Award for Lifetime Achievement". American Public Health Association. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  19. ^ "Meet Our Team: Board Members". Catalyst Global. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  20. ^ Secretary-General, Un (8 August 2008). "United Nations Population Award 2008 : note / by the Secretary-General". United Nations Digital Library. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  21. ^ Sherk, Kirsten. "Melinda Gates, Jill Sheffield honored with ICRW Champions for Change Awards". International Center for Research on Women. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
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