Meet the keynote speakers of FIGO Paris 2023
Click on the headshots below to find out more about each speaker for the FIGO 2023 World Congress.
Denis Mukwege is a Congolese (D.R.C.) gynecologist, born on March 1, 1955 in Bukavu.
He studied medicine and specialized in obstetrics and gynecology in France. He holds a doctorate degree (PhD) in medical sciences from the Université Libre de Bruxelles where he is a Professor.
For over 20 years, Dr. Mukwege has been treating survivors of sexual violence and women with severe gynecological problems at the Panzi Hospital, which he founded in 1999.
The Hospital and Panzi Foundation are renowned for their pioneering work in specialized responses to sexual gender based violence, and their work in advocating for the rights and empowerment of Congolese women.
Doctor Mukwege is an outspoken advocate for the rights of survivors of sexual violence. He co-presides over the Global Survivors’ Fund, which he co-founded in 2019. He also serves on the Scientific Council of the WHO.
His action and dedication have been recognized worldwide with various awards among which the United Nations Human Rights Prize (2008), the Sakharov Prize (2014) and the Nobel Peace Prize (2018) as well as honorary degrees from different Universities.
Prof. Marek Glezerman, MD is an internationally renowned expert in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine. He has chaired for 25 years in succession three large departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology at major health care centers in Israel. He has also acted for 14 years as chairperson of the National Steering Committee of ObGyn at the Maccabi Health Care Services in Israel. Since 2098 he has been deeply involved in research and promotion of Gender and Sex Conscious Medicine and is regarded as one of its pioneers on a national and international level. Prof. Glezerman is founding president of the Israel Society for Gender – and Sex Conscious Medicine and acted for 10 years as president of the International Society for Gender Medicine. He is currently Head of Gender- and Sex Conscious Medicine at Tel Aviv University. He has written/edited 8 books and published more than 340 scientific articles in professional journals and chapters in text books.
Dr Alain Gregoire has for 30 years been a Consultant Specialist Perinatal Psychiatrist, during which time he has set up and led multiple specialist perinatal mental health services, and won UK Hospital Doctor of the year and Psychiatry Team of the Year awards.
He was a member of the NICE Guideline Development Group for Antenatal and Postnatal Mental Health, and has contributed extensively to the development of policy, strategy, guidance and clinical services in the area of parental and infant mental health in the UK and abroad.
He was the founder and is President of the UK Maternal Mental Health Alliance, a coalition of over 120 national organisations committed to improving maternal mental health care and outcomes for mothers and their infants, and which has successfully campaigned for government funding for perinatal mental health services across the UK. The Princess of Wales recently became our patron. In 2016 he launched the Global Alliance for Maternal Mental Health, which has similar aims worldwide, with over 25 international member organisations, and has informed the development of successful alliances in many other countries and world regions.
Alain has worked extensively in radio, television and film, including the multiple award winning BBC documentary ‘My Baby Psychosis and Me’, and is a presenter for the award winning BBC TV programme ‘Trust Me I’m a Doctor’.
Dr. Yashica Robinson is the owner and founder of Alabama Women’s Wellness Center, P.C. She is a comprehensive women’s health specialist. Dr. Robinson received her Doctor of Medicine from Morehouse School of Medicine. She completed her Internship and Residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Alabama, Birmingham. Dr. Robinson is Board Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology and is a Fellow of The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She serves as a member of the Board for Physicians for Reproductive Health. She is also a National Health Service Corps Scholar and a member of the United States Army Reserves. Making a commitment to serve the underserved, she recognizes access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare, including abortion care as an area of great need in the South. She serves as the medical director of Alabama Women’s Center for Reproductive Alternatives where she has served as the primary provider of second trimester abortion care in Alabama. She devotes much of her time and efforts to hosting medical students, residents and fellows in order to help train the next generation of abortion providers. She does this while running a busy OBGYN practice where she focuses on providing individualized care for women of all ages. She will soon open the Alabama Birth Center (ABC), a visionary project which will provide an alternative to hospital births, prenatal classes, and post-natal care. The ABC will provide training rotations to build a corps of clinicians in the South who are skilled in providing comprehensive reproductive health care. Aspiring midwives, nurse practitioner students, and doulas will be trained in a unique model of care that effectively integrates comprehensive emotional and physical support, obstetrics, and a midwifery model of birthing.
Dr. Yashica Robinson has been honored with the George Tiller, MD award for outstanding courage in hostile and challenging environments. She was saluted as one of Essence magazine’s “Woke 100 Women.” Dr. Robinson was recognized as one of the 20 people who will shape Alabama in 2020 — Reckon List 2020. She was featured in the New York Times Op-doc, The Chosen Life. She has testified before the US Congress. Dr. Robinson is a fierce advocate for women.
Laura Gil graduated as an obstetrician-gynecologist in 2004 from the National University of Colombia.
She is an abortion provider and has been an active advocate as well as a trainer and speaker on safe abortion access. She is the cofounder of “Grupo Médico por el Derecho a Decidir- GDC Colombia” and the former Program Director of ESAR, a foundation that provides training in sexual and reproductive health in ten countries in Latin America. She is also member of the board of Global Doctors for Choice, the FIGO Safe Abortion Committee and advisor for the FLASOG’s and FECOLSOG’s Sexual and Reproductive Rights Committee.
Doctor Mèdessè Véronique TOGNIFODE is an Associate Professor of CAMES. She reached this grade in November 2022 after having brilliantly passed the competitive examination for the agrégation in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She had previously obtained the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 2004, and continued her specialisation studies in obstetrics in France, but she remained attached to her country of origin. She returned there after her university studies, and for about ten years, she put her know-how at the service of patients in a private clinic in Cotonou before gradually leaving the private sector for an academic career undertaken at the University of Abomey-Calavi in 2016.
This teacher-researcher is at the head of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Microfinance since September 2019. Her strong social commitment to the cause of women motivated her to enter politics. Over the past ten years, Professor TOGNIFODE has been involved in the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and the education of young girls. Since her appointment as head of her ministerial department, she has been working to implement the State’s social protection policies through the establishment of health insurance for all, the protection of children, the disabled, the elderly and the extreme poor. The promotion of the family and women, national solidarity and equal opportunities, the promotion of microfinance and financial inclusion are also its areas of intervention. It works to eradicate sexual violence as well as to enhance the status of women, their socio-economic autonomy, to keep girls in school or in training and to include vulnerable groups.
With regard to women specifically, in addition to the success of the programme to grant microfinance for income-generating activities with a view to empowering the most vulnerable, she has contributed to strengthening the legal framework for the protection of women’s rights through a law on sexual and reproductive health that is less restrictive than the previous law, in order to prevent the dramatic complications of clandestine abortions by revising the conditions for abortion.
From 2020 to 2022, she chaired the African Union (Ethiopia) Specialised Technical Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. In 2021, she was made a Commander of the National Order of Benin.
Majorie van Duursen is Professor of Environmental Health and Toxicology at the faculty of Science of the VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands. As principal investigator, Prof van Duursen is involved in various (inter)national projects on the impact of chemicals and the environment on human health. With her research, she aims to increase mechanistic understanding on how chemicals can modulate endocrine pathways and impact human health, especially that of women and the developing child. Prof van Duursen is coordinator of the project FREIA, funded by the European Commission, that sets out to improve test methods for identification of endocrine disruptors that affect female reproductive health. She is chair of the committee for Classification of Substances Toxic to Reproduction and Development, of the Health Council of the Netherlands. She is expert advisor in various national and international organizations and committees related to environmental health issues, such as the World Health Organisation, European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA).
MD, MA Obst. (IRL), DGO, DFP, DOBST. RCPI (Dublin), FFIGO, FRCOG (UK), FRCPI (Ireland), FACOG (USA), FSLCOG (SL), FTAOG (Tw), FEBCOG (EU), FDGGG (GER), FEMA O&G (UAE), FIAHR, FAMS, FICOG, FICMCH, PGD MLS (Law).
Hon. Membership Romanian, Colombian and French (CNGOF) ObGyn Societies.
Consultant, Obstetrician & Gynaecologist Purandare Hospital Mumbai India.
President FIGO (2015–2018).
Emeritus Dean Indian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
President FOGSI (2009).
President Indian College of OB GYN (2009).
President MOGS (2004).
Professor Emeritus O&G Research institute Ministry of Health Russian Federation.
Editor Emeritus Journal – FOGSI.
Emeritus Prof. OBGYN, Grant Medical College & J J Hospital, Mumbai, India.
Ex. Hon. Prof. OBGYN, Grant Medical College & J J Hospital, Mumbai, India.
Hon. Consultant, Mumbai Police, India.
Hon. Consultant. Saifee Hospital & BSES Hospital, Mumbai, India.
Visiting Consultant St. Elizabeth Hospital Mumbai, India.
Dr Conry is the current President of the Environmental Health Leadership Foundation, leading efforts to improve the health and well-being of women through systematic changes in health care delivery with a focus on the environment.
Dr Conry holds positions as the Chair of the US Women’s Preventive Services Initiative and Vice Chair of the PMNCH Provider Engagement in Countries Committee. She serves on the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality (ACIMM) of the US Department of Health and Human Services. She is also a Board member for the Forum Institute and the Heartland Health Research Alliance.
Dr Conry is a Past President of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and was a practicing OBGYN at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. She holds a Medical Degree from, and completed her Residency at, the University of California at Davis. She holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
