Human Relations Award Honoree: Dr. Medge Owen
Human Relations Award Honoree
In underdeveloped countries, child birth can be a life-threatening ordeal for mother and child. Dr. Medge D. Owen doesn’t think it should be that way, so she is on a lifesaving mission.
A professor at Wake Forest Medical School and director of its Global Maternal and Infant Health Programs, Owen is using her expertise and vast experience to equip medical facilities and personnel around the world with the tools and knowledge they need to safely bring newborns into the world while protecting the lives of their mothers.
Owen founded Kybele (Kha-Bella) to link doctors and other medical professionals with their colleagues in developing countries for training purposes. Since 2004, Owen and more than 400 other volunteers have conducted conferences and training sessions in Croatia, Egypt, Ghana, Mongolia and several other countries where pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death and disability for women.
In addition to teaching proper childbirth procedures and techniques, Kybele volunteers have donated more than $2 million in educational materials, textbooks, medication and medical equipment to developing countries. Their greatest contribution, however, is the gift of life. It is impossible to gauge the lives that have been saved over the past decade as a result of Owen’s efforts.
For being a selfless global life-saver, The Chronicle and the community are proud to honor Dr. Medge Owen with our Human Relations Award.
