Jump to content

Jill Sheffield

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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

Jill Sheffield is a prominent advocate for women's sexual and reproductive health and rights, specifically championing reducing global maternal mortality. She is the founder of Women Deliver[1][2], a global organization dedicated to improving maternal health and gender equality. [3]

Biography

[edit]

Sheffield received 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]

Sheffield's career began 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 prohibited from using contraception without their husbands’ permission.[7] This inspired Sheffield to shift 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 was originally 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

[edit]

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

[edit]
  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.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jill_Sheffield&oldid=1258653303"