Photo by Shaleece Haas

At 79, Hamlin is still the world’s foremost surgeon repairing fistulas, the preventable pregnancy complication that often goes untreated in women in poor countries. The
Sydney-born doctor, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, moved to Ethiopia with her husband in 1959, and together they founded the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in 1974. It since has treated more than 22,000 women and is the leading teaching hospital for surgeons in the developing world. Among her many honors, Dr. Hamlin was inducted this year as an honorary fellow in the American College of Surgeons.

Photo by Shaleece Haas

At 79, Hamlin is still the world’s foremost surgeon repairing fistulas, the preventable pregnancy complication that often goes untreated in women in poor countries. The
Sydney-born doctor, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, moved to Ethiopia with her husband in 1959, and together they founded the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in 1974. It since has treated more than 22,000 women and is the leading teaching hospital for surgeons in the developing world. Among her many honors, Dr. Hamlin was inducted this year as an honorary fellow in the American College of Surgeons.

Photo by Shaleece Haas

At 79, Hamlin is still the world’s foremost surgeon repairing fistulas, the preventable pregnancy complication that often goes untreated in women in poor countries. The
Sydney-born doctor, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, moved to Ethiopia with her husband in 1959, and together they founded the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in 1974. It since has treated more than 22,000 women and is the leading teaching hospital for surgeons in the developing world. Among her many honors, Dr. Hamlin was inducted this year as an honorary fellow in the American College of Surgeons.

Photo by Shaleece Haas

At 79, Hamlin is still the world’s foremost surgeon repairing fistulas, the preventable pregnancy complication that often goes untreated in women in poor countries. The
Sydney-born doctor, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, moved to Ethiopia with her husband in 1959, and together they founded the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in 1974. It since has treated more than 22,000 women and is the leading teaching hospital for surgeons in the developing world. Among her many honors, Dr. Hamlin was inducted this year as an honorary fellow in the American College of Surgeons.

Photo by Shaleece Haas

At 79, Hamlin is still the world’s foremost surgeon repairing fistulas, the preventable pregnancy complication that often goes untreated in women in poor countries. The
Sydney-born doctor, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, moved to Ethiopia with her husband in 1959, and together they founded the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in 1974. It since has treated more than 22,000 women and is the leading teaching hospital for surgeons in the developing world. Among her many honors, Dr. Hamlin was inducted this year as an honorary fellow in the American College of Surgeons.

50
Women
Who Made a
Difference

In the offices of New York City’s Chess-in-the-Schools, 23-year-old chess master Jennifer Shahade conducts a “Girls Academy,” instructing her students, ages 9 to 13, to “play like girls”—meaning they should emulate important women players and learn their moves. The strongest American-born female player ever—only one of the top 100 players in the world is a woman—Shahade is encouraging female chess players both with her teaching and with the book she’s writing on women in chess. “The game is finally shedding its image as a magnet for geeks,” says Shahade.

Photo by Chad Evans Wyatt

Possessing one of the most recognizable faces on PBS, Ifill provides a voice, commentary and journalistic professionalism that are a refreshing alternative to media conglomerate newspeak. A correspondent and moderator on “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer” and the host of “Washington Week,” she earlier this year co-hosted “Flashpoints USA” with Bryant Gumbel. Ifill, 48, avoids sensationalistic reporting and rating chases; she’s one of the most respected journalists in both the print and broadcast worlds, delivering news and analysis with dignity in an industry still employing few powerful women.

Photo by Alan Dakessian