Jhpiego to Present Global Humanitarian Awards to Philanthropists Molly Sims and Scott Stuber and What to Expect advocate-philanthropists Heidi and Erik Murkoff

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May 10, 2021, 11:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, May 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jhpiego, a global health nonprofit, is prescribing a good time at their annual Laughter is the Best Medicine gala. Actress-advocate Molly Sims and her husband Scott Stuber, Global Head of Netflix Films, along with Heidi Murkoff, author and creator of the world's most popular pregnancy and parenting brand, and her husband and partner, Erik, will be wearing their A-list pajamas and slippers when they step into the spotlight on June 10 to be honored for their humanitarian work.

At a virtual Party-in-Your-PJs gala, these couples will be comfy cozy while receiving two special awards from Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate dedicated to saving lives, improving health and transforming the futures of women and families worldwide.

With surprise appearances by comedy guests, Laughter Is the Best Medicine 2021promises to be a glittering un-slumber party with no one nodding off! Prominent Los Angeles physicians, Drs. Howie and Susie Mandel and Drs. Hadar and Cory Waldman, are lending their enthusiastic support as presenting sponsors.

Jhpiego's Elyse Bila Ouedraogo Award will be presented to Molly, an actress, model and lifestyle influencer whose books include the bestseller The Everyday Supermodel: My Beauty, Fashion, and Wellness Secrets Made Simple, and her husband, Scott, Global Head of Netflix Films. Netflix is bringing audiences a new movie every week, including hits like family favorite YES DAY starring Jennifer Garner; Academy Award winners Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Mank; Extraction starring Chris Hemsworth; Martin Scorsese's The Irishman; The Old Guard starring Charlize Theron; Bird Box directed by Susanne Bier and starring Sandra Bullock; Academy Award winner Roma directed by Alfonso Cuarón; as well as the Academy Award-winning Period. End of Sentence., a documentary film that brought global attention to the crushing stigma of menstruation.

The Ouedraogo award is named for a Burkina Faso nurse who screened hundreds of women for cervical cancer—the preventable disease that ultimately took her life—and is given to honorees who exemplify Ouedraogo's selfless determination to make a difference. Alongside Scott, whom the New York Times described as “one of the most important—and disruptive—people in the film business,” Molly stated:

“We’re so incredibly honored and humbled to receive the Elyse Bila Ouedraogo Award from Jhpiego. We’re committed to advocating for women and children’s access to healthcare and education, as well as driving impact for their right to safety and security. Helping those in need is at the center of our family’s priorities.”

As dedicated philanthropists, Molly and Scott are active supporters of organizations like Baby2Baby and Chrysalis. The Los Angeles-based couple, parents to three children, have always stressed the importance of giving back. They are being honored for their enduring commitment to improving the lives of women, children and families at home and around the world.

Jhpiego's Visionary Award, which recognizes leaders who use their influence to highlight and advance women's empowerment, education and access to health care, will be given to Heidi and Erik Murkoff. Heidi is the mom-and-baby advocate who turned her own need for knowledge during her pregnancy into the internationally best-selling What to Expect book series which led to her creation of the number one pregnancy brand in the world. The series—and Heidi's caring connection to moms-to-be worldwide–landed her on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2015, What to Expect When You're Expecting became the longest-running title in New York Times bestseller history, an achievement still unsurpassed. The series has sold over 42 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 34 languages. Through her passionate promotion of safe motherhood, Heidi has nurtured an online community of 24 million moms on the What to Expect app and whattoexpect.com, and founded the What to Expect Project to help underserved women experience a healthy pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby—wherever they live. The Project includes Baby Basics, a free, culturally sensitive guide that has delivered vital information and support to nearly 1 million at-risk moms; Special Delivery, a partnership with the USO that has hosted over 250 baby showers for military moms around the world; and #BumpDay, a social media campaign dedicated to awareness of the global crisis of maternal mortality. WTEP and Heidi also actively work with members of Congress to draft and enact global and domestic maternal health legislation.

"If motherhood is the ultimate sisterhood—as I always say it is—then our sisters are at risk," Heidi wrote after visiting vulnerable pregnant women in South Sudan among the most dangerous places on earth to give birth.

By her side throughout this incredible journey has been her husband, Erik, her partner in What to Expect and in life.

SOURCE Jhpiego