Paramount Pictures' New CEO Jim Gianopulos and wife Ann to receive Jhpiego's Elyse Bila Oeudraogo Award

LOS ANGELES, April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jhpiego, an international non-profit health organization and Johns Hopkins University affiliate, will honor Ann and Jim Gianopulos with the Elyse Bila Ouedraogo award in recognition of their extraordinary volunteer efforts and support of women and families.

Mr. Gianopulos, a veteran studio chief with such blockbusters as Titanic, Star Wars and Avatar to his credit, and wife Ann, an accomplished marketing director, will be celebrated on May 1 at Jhpiego's gala  "Laughter is the Best Medicine" at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.  This event showcases Jhpiego's outstanding work saving lives, improving health and transforming futures in the world's poorest places.

Every day, over 800 women die globally from childbirth related causes and pregnancy.  Nearly all of these maternal deaths occur in the developing world and, astonishingly, the majority could be prevented with low-cost health care solutions, a hallmark of Jhpiego's work in more than 40 countries.

The Gianopuloses recognize with gratitude the tremendous opportunities and good fortune their careers have afforded them and want to seize this opportunity to support Jhpiego's global mission of preventing the needless deaths of women and families.

Mr. Gianopulos is the newly-appointed Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures with oversight of the firm's film and television operations worldwide. He previously served as the chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox for 16 years. His wife, Ann, began her career in the entertainment industry at Warner Brothers International Licensing and Merchandising in Paris. After moving to Los Angeles, Ann worked for Hanna-Barbera International Home Video, Turner Pictures Worldwide and Twentieth Century Fox International, where she was director and then vice president of marketing.

The couple will share the Elyse Bila Ouedraogo Award, which is named for a nurse in West Africa who died from cervical cancer for lack of a simple screening test. Jhpiego has been fighting for 44 years to ensure equity in health care services because Jhpiego believes where a woman lives should not determine if she lives.  

Mr. Gianopulos, a New York native who traveled the world on a tanker ship as a young man, has been active in many philanthropic causes, including the National Entertainment Advisory Council for the Anti-Defamation League, The Brady Center, the City of Hope and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

After leaving the corporate world to raise the couple's three daughters, Mrs. Gianopulos worked as a consultant in eco-friendly, "green" marketing. Today, she dedicates her free time to help charities and community organizations such as The Archer School for Girls (trustee and committee chair), the Geffen Theater advisory board, the Cambodian Children's Fund and various schools.

About Jhpiego
For 44 years, Jhpiego has empowered frontline health workers by designing and implementing effective, low-cost, hands-on solutions to strengthen the delivery of health care services for women and their families. Jhpiego works to break down barriers to high-quality health care for the world's most vulnerable populations. Visit www.jhpiego.org. For more information

SOURCE Jhpiego