Temple Member Dr. Jane Aronson named one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year for 2009

MAPLEWOOD, NJ – November 9 – “Orphan Doctor” Dr. Jane Aronson, Founder and CEO of Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO), has been named one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year for 2009. Dr. Aronson, a Maplewood resident, will receive the Glamour honor with 11 other extraordinary and inspirational women who are making a difference in the world during a Nov. 9 awards ceremony in New York City.

Annually, Glamour pays tribute to courageous and inspiring women who have made unprecedented contributions to the worlds of entertainment, business, sports, fashion, science and politics. Dr. Aronson, a world-renowned pediatrician specializing in international adoptions and orphaned children worldwide, will be recognized for WWO’s lifesaving humanitarian assistance to improve the lives of more than 20,000 children in overseas orphanages and her stalwart advocacy to draw attention to the plight of the world’s orphaned children.

“It is such a deep honor for me to be selected this year as one of Glamour’s Women of the Year with some of the most accomplished women of our time,” said Dr. Aronson, a mother of two children adopted from Vietnam and Ethiopia.

“This recognition demonstrates the importance of offering real solutions and opportunities to orphaned children around the globe. It will go a long way in ensuring that orphans are not defined by their circumstances, but go on to become healthy, productive citizens with a bright future,” said Aronson.

Dr. Aronson will be featured in a special December issue of Glamour magazine. Other 2009 honorees include: Dr. Maya Angelou, imprisoned journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, Google's Marissa Mayer, designer Stella McCartney, Iran's One Million Signatures Campaign, comedian Amy Poehler, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, journalist and California First Lady Maria Shriver, and tennis champion Serena Williams. First Lady Michelle Obama will receive a special recognition award for her work on mentoring.

“She has a heart the size of Texas and a drive like Tiger Woods, and she has made a huge difference to countless children and their families,” says Hugh Jackman, actor and longtime supporter of Worldwide Orphans Foundation.

“Dr. Aronson stands alone as a person who has impacted the lives of the world’s most neglected children – those without parents – many of whom would simply languish without the programs she has developed through the formation of Worldwide Orphans Foundation," says Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive.

Founded in 1997, WWO is a leading U.S.-based international organization that works to transform the lives of the world’s orphaned children by addressing their medical, developmental, psychosocial and educational needs.

WWO was one of the first nongovernmental organizations to introduce professional peer training in Vietnam and Ethiopia for pediatric HIV/AIDS treatment, and was one of the first to provide antiretroviral treatment to orphans with HIV/AIDS in both countries. Other innovative programs for orphaned children include physical/occupational therapy, early intervention or “granny” programs that engage retired educators as caregivers; education, arts and humanities programs; and sports and recreational camps.

Glamour magazine: www.glamour.com/women-of-the-year/2009/jane-aronson