Meet the Conference Keynote speaker

Dr. Edna Adan Ismail is a nurse-midwife, hospital founder, and health-care advocate who has worked courageously to change cultural, religious, and medical norms surrounding women’s health in East Africa.

Raised in a society where opportunities for women were limited, Edna defied custom by vigorously pursuing education. Watching her father perform surgeries and bring healing to the community inspired her lifelong interest in healthcare. An exemplary student, Edna became the first Somali girl to receive a scholarship to study in the U.K., where she  trained in nursing and midwifery at the Borough Polytechnic. 

After a career with the World Health Organization, Edna returned to her homeland and sold her assets to found the Edna Adan University Hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Since 2002, the hospital has provided high-quality obstetric and gynecological care for women and their newborns, including safe and accessible childbirth experiences.