Former College President honoured by maternal health charity
Lifetime award for Dame Barbara Stocking
Dame Barbara Stocking, alumna and former President of Murray Edwards College, has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from a charity dedicated to supporting the health of mothers in developing countries.
Maa Global, the Maternal Aid Association for Global Health, presented the award to Dame Barbara at its Grand Gala, an annual awards ceremony celebrating healthcare excellence and leadership. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was among three others to receive the honour - the first time the ten-year-old charity has presented awards for lifetime achievement in global health.
Maa Global provides free healthcare, medicine and education to mothers and young girls in four of the world's poorest countries with the highest death rates for mothers and babies, including Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The charity aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality and empower the next generation. Projects range from providing free pregnancy checks at antenatal clinics to delivering vital health education to young girls.
The charity’s awards ceremony, held at the Natural History Museum in April, brought together students from 48 universities, young leaders in medicine, and eminent figures in global health and digital innovation to recognise and honour those shaping the future of healthcare.
Dame Barbara, a former Chief Executive of Oxfam GB, was President of Murray Edwards from 2013 to 2021 and is an Honorary Fellow and Fellow Emerita of the College.
Her connection to MAA arose through chairing a group set up within the UK Dames Commander Society, focusing on Afghanistan and the catastrophic impact of poor healthcare on Afghan women. The group hopes to persuade agencies to develop an app, aimed at women themselves, on pregnancy and childbirth.
Dame Barbara said: 'I was amazed to receive the letter from Maa to say I had been nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award. Once I had recovered from the shock, I felt very humble, but it was a really uplifting affirmation.'
Picture credit: Maa Global