IOWD

03/30/2026

Congratulations Dr. Blomquist! 🎉 A well deserved honor and congratulations from the entire IOWD team! We are blessed to have you on the team! 👏🏼 👏🏼

Each year, The Daily Record recognizes Maryland's Top 100 Women — and we are thrilled to announce that Dr. Joan Blomquist, Chair of GBMC's Department of Gynecology, will be honored on this year's list!

Dr. Blomquist has devoted her career to improving the lives of women navigating some of their most personal and often least discussed health challenges. A nationally recognized leader in urogynecology, she brings extraordinary clinical skill, surgical expertise, and deep empathy to every patient encounter.

Her dedication and leadership reflect GBMC's ongoing commitment to remaining at the forefront of women's health.

Congratulations, Dr. Blomquist — this recognition is so well deserved!

03/08/2026

Today we celebrate the women behind the mission.

Surgeons. Nurses. Educators. Coordinators. Leaders.

Women who volunteer their time and expertise to restore health, dignity, and opportunity for other women.

At International Organization for Women and Development, women are not only the reason we do this work.

They are the force behind it. 💪🏼

Happy International Women’s Day to the volunteers who show up, lead with purpose, and lift others with them.

02/11/2026

On International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we recognize the women who are advancing healthcare not just through research, but through direct clinical impact.

IOWD was founded by Barbara A. Margolies, whose commitment to science-based, sustainable surgical care for women laid the foundation for our long-term partnership in Rwanda. Her leadership continues to shape a model grounded in clinical excellence, clinician empowerment, and system strengthening.

Today, women represent a powerful majority of IOWD’s volunteer network. They are surgeons, nurses, educators, and leaders applying science directly to patient care and capacity building.

Their work spans:
👩🏽‍⚕️ Obstetric fistula repair
🧪 Cervical cancer screening and prevention
📚 Clinician education and mentorship
🏥 Sustainable surgical system strengthening

Science becomes transformative when it is placed in the hands of committed women leaders. 👏🏼

Today, we honor the women across our volunteer network, and the founder who set the standard, for turning expertise into measurable impact.

Follow, share, support as we continue expanding care, opportunity, and hope for women and families.

This is our journey…
Engage. Support. Join The Work.

02/05/2026

A love letter to our January volunteers ❤️

You gave your time.
You gave your expertise.
You gave your whole hearts.

Between long days, early mornings, and moments that mattered deeply - you showed up.

For patients.
For partners.
For each other.

This post holds our gratitude. Thank you for choosing service, compassion, and impact.

Thank you for carrying the mission of International Organization for Women and Development with such integrity and pride.

Follow, share, and support IOWD as we continue expanding care, opportunity, and hope for women and families.

This is our journey where we encourage you to…
Engage. Support. Join The Work.

📥 contact@iowd.org
🌍 www.iowd.org

01/31/2026

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers and still one of the deadliest for women globally. Nearly 94% of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where access to screening and early treatment remains limited (WHO, 2022).

This January, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, we are highlighting how prevention becomes possible when systems are strengthened - not just services delivered.

Through long-term partnerships in , International Organization for Women and Development has focused on sustainable cervical cancer prevention by:

📚 Training and empowering nurses to lead screening and early detection
🩺 Integrating screening into routine women’s health services
🛣️ Strengthening referral pathways for timely diagnosis and treatment
🤝 Reducing reliance on short-term missions through local capacity building

These efforts are shifting detection earlier, expanding access, and embedding prevention into the health system where it belongs.

🎗️ Cervical cancer is preventable.
💝 Sustained investment, skilled healthcare workers, and equitable access determine who benefits.
🏥 When screening reaches women, lives are saved

01/28/2026

“Do what makes you happy” only works when health makes happiness possible.

01/26/2026

01/26/2026

Today marks the official kickoff of our 2026 missions in Rwanda and the energy is unmistakable! 🎉 We’re on the ground in Kigali, and surgeries start today. 👏🏼

Months of planning have turned into action. The ORs are ready. The team is locked in. There’s a real buzz here…focused, energized, and deeply committed to the work ahead. 💫

Over the next two weeks, our surgeons, nurses, educators, and local partners will do what they do best: show up, work side by side, and deliver care that matters in Rwanda.

🇷🇼 This is why we return.
🇷🇼 This is the work.
🇷🇼 And it starts now.

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01/19/2026

01/19/2026

Mission Makers aren’t only the ones in scrubs or in the OR.

They are the people who donate, share our work, speak about it, partner with us, and believe ❤️sometimes quietly ❤️ that women everywhere deserve access to safe, dignified care.

Every mission is powered by a community of supporters who help turn compassion into action and possibility into reality.

If you’ve ever supported IOWD in any way, this post is for you 👏

And if you’re wondering how you can help 💫 there’s a place for you here.

➡️ Swipe through to see 5 ways you can be a Mission Maker today because when people come together with purpose, real change happens.

01/14/2026

For 24 consecutive years, nurses have been ranked the most trusted 💪🏼 profession for honesty and ethics. That trust is not accidental. It was earned through generations of nurse leaders who set the bar high, led with integrity, and refused to compromise patient care. ❤️

At IOWD, this legacy is central to our work in . Strengthening nursing capacity is not just about training or workforce numbers. It is about developing as clinical leaders, educators, and stewards of trust within their health system. When nurses are supported and empowered, patient outcomes improve and systems become more resilient.

As healthcare grows more complex and technology-driven, trust remains human. Nurses carry it at the bedside, in classrooms, and across evolving health systems around the globe. 🌍

This is why investing in nursing education and leadership in Rwanda 🇷🇼 matters. It protects the integrity of care today and builds sustainable capacity for the future.

Nurses have once again been ranked the most trusted profession in Gallup’s annual Most Honest and Ethical Professions Poll for the 24th consecutive year