Dr. Mulu Muleta Receives 2010 Global ATHENA Leadership Award

SANTA CLARA, Calif. and CHICAGO, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- ATHENA International awarded Dr. Mulu Muleta, Senior Medical Advisor to Women and Health Alliance International, Ethiopia, the 2010 Global ATHENA Leadership Award at the 16^th annual ATHENA Women's Leadership Summit in Chicago.  

"It is such an honor to recognize Dr. Muleta as the 2010 Global ATHENA Leadership Award recipient," stated Dianne Dinkel, President & CEO of ATHENA International. "We were inspired by her story and the stories of the thousands of fistula patients that she has helped."

Dr Muleta is the Senior Medical Advisor to Women and Health Alliance International, a not-for-profit that addresses maternal care and women's post-partum reproductive health in disadvantaged communities throughout the world.  Muleta has been instrumental in developing the Alliance's maternal and neonatal health projects in different settings in Ethiopia, including the Gondar Region.

The ATHENA International Global ATHENA Leadership Award recognizes women who demonstrate excellence, creativity and initiative in their professions, provide valuable service to improve the quality of life in their communities, actively assist women in achieving their full leadership potential and whose work has national or international significance.

Dr. Muleta has worked with various national and international institutions, including the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, and the United Nations Population Fund.

Trained as an obstetric surgeon in Ethiopia, for the last 18 years she has treated women with fistula in Africa. She earned a Masters degree in Public Health at the Institute of Antwerp in Belgium and a PhD from Bergen in Norway.  She has published several articles in peer-reviewed medical journals, and has been profiled in the Lancet.  In 2009, she was recognized by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics for her lifetime service.

The Santa Clara-based Fistula Foundation assists Dr. Muleta by raising funding for and awareness of fistula treatment, prevention, and education worldwide.  For more information: http://www.fistulafoundation.org, or 866-756-3700.

Chicago-based ATHENA International sponsors award programs that honor women leaders in more than 220 locations throughout 8 countries. For more information: http://www.athenainternational.org or 312.580.0111.  

SOURCE ATHENA International