August 3, 2011, Chapel Hill, NC—Global health nonprofit IntraHealth International has named bioethicist and attorney Louise Winstanly to its Board of Directors.

Earlier this month, IntraHealth became a member of the Reproductive Health Coalition, a global partnership of public, private, and nongovernmental organizations dedicated to ensuring that all people in low- and middle-income countries can access and use affordable, high-quality reproductive health supplies. Since 2004, this coalition has been at the forefront of international efforts to secure reproductive health supplies by building effective partnerships, strengthening systems, and increasing resources.

IntraHealth president and CEO Pape Gaye is in Washington, DC, this week on Capitol Hill, meeting with congressional delegates and staffers to educate them about the state of reproductive health care and family planning investments in West Africa—including in Gaye’s native country, Senegal.

Last week, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and partner agencies released The State of the World’s Midwifery 2011 report, which shows the world is short 350,000 midwives—nearly the same number of women who die each year from complications of pregnancy or childbirth: 358,000. Using data from 58 developing countries where 91% of maternal deaths occur, the report stresses that making high-quality midwifery services more widely available is an essential step to improving women and children’s health.

The Research Triangle Park blog Science in the Triangle reported on TEDxChapel Hill: A glimpse into the global technology era. 

Presented at a TED talk independently organized by IntraHealth [on] June 2 at the Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill, these innovative technological applications provided a glimpse of what’s possible in places without functioning transportation, healthcare and banking infrastructures.