Title Founder Company mothers2mothers Bio Dr. Mitch Besser is a graduate of Harvard Medical School. As an obstetrician and gynecologist, his professional career has been dedicated to the public health needs of women. In 1999, Dr. Besser joined the University of Cape Town's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, assisting with the development of services to meet the needs of pregnant women living with HIV and to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children (PMTCT). Dr. Besser recognized the need for an education and psychosocial support program that would contribute to PMTCT services achieving the best medical and social outcomes. Hoping to fill this void, he created mothers2mothers,in which mothers living with HIV are employed to work in health centers, educating and supporting pregnant women and new mothers with HIV; reducing the workload of doctors and nurses and increasing the effectiveness of interventions that reduce the number of babies born with HIV and keep mothers healthy and alive to raise their children. m2m has reached more than 1.2 million HIV-positive mothers in nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and catalysed affiliated Mentor Mother programmes in two additional countries. Founded in South Africa in 2001, m2m is a partner in the United Nations’ Global Plan towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections among Children by 2015 and Keeping their Mothers Alive. Dr. Besser has received Global Health Council’s Best Practice Award, Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, Presidential Citizens Award of the United States Government, and is an Ashoka and Schwab Fellow. He has presented at TED, appeared on BBC’s Forum and has given a Friday Evening Discourse at the Royal Institution of Great Britain.