Why we chose Arlene as a Fellow

Arlene is a Maternal Child Health Nurse Practitioner with deep experience in maternal-and-infant health, and an abiding interest in indigenous cultures. On a trip to India, she was shocked to learn of the alarming mortality rate of Tibetan mothers and infants, but saw clearly what could be done to change it. She launched One Heart to deliver a systematic solution, and saw remarkable changes.

Every year, half a million women die in childbirth, four million infants are stillborn, another four million die within a month. 99% percent of these deaths happen in poor communities with a disproportionate share to those in remote settings. One Heart creates a "network of safety" for mothers and newborns in remote settings: they provide life-saving skills along a referral path that ties together moms, families, midwives and doctors in rural areas. One Heart now has crafted a systematic model that has the potential to bring similar changes to mothers in indigenous communities all over the world.