Film executive Scott Stuber and his wife, actress-advocate Molly Sims, will step into the spotlight this spring with Heidi Murkoff, author and creator of the world’s most popular pregnancy and parenting brand, and her husband and partner, Erik, in honor of their humanitarian work.
These two couples are known for giving back, but on April 28, they’ll be on the receiving end of two very special awards at a glittering gala hosted by Jhpiego, a global health nonprofit and Johns Hopkins University affiliate dedicated to saving lives, improving health and transforming the futures of women and families worldwide. Laughter Is the Best Medicine 2020 won’t disappoint!
Jhpiego’s Elyse Bila Ouedraogo Award will be presented to Molly, an actress, model and lifestyle influencer whose books include the bestseller The Everyday Supermodel: My Beauty, Fashion, and Wellness Secrets Made Simple, and her husband, Scott, head of Netflix Films. Netflix is the studio behind the Academy Award-nominated films The Irishman, The Two Popes and Marriage Story, as well as the Academy Award-winning Period. End of Sentence., a documentary film that brought global attention to the crushing stigma of menstruation. The Ouedraogo award is named for a Burkina Faso nurse who screened hundreds of women for cervical cancer — the preventable disease that ultimately took her life — and is given to honorees who exemplify Ouedraogo’s selfless determination to make a difference. Alongside Scott, whom the New York Times described as “one of the most important — and disruptive — people in the film business,” Molly promotes an ethos of giving back in their home by reaching out to help others live their best lives.
Molly has said, “I aim to make it a priority in my family to remember and help those who are in need.”
As dedicated philanthropists, Molly and Scott are active supporters of organizations like Baby2Baby and Chrysalis. The Los Angeles-based couple, parents to three children, have always stressed the importance of giving back. They are being honored for their enduring commitment to improving the lives of women, children and families at home and around the world.
Jhpiego’s Visionary Award,which recognizes leaders who use their influence to highlight and advance women’s empowerment, education and access to health care, will be given to Heidi and Erik Murkoff. Heidi is the mom-and-baby advocate who turned her own need for knowledge during her pregnancy into the internationally best-selling What to Expect book series. The series — and Heidi’s caring connection to moms-to-be worldwide – landed her on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2015, What to Expect When You’re Expecting became the longest-running title in New York Times bestseller history, an achievement still unsurpassed. Through her passionate promotion of safe motherhood, Heidi has nurtured an online community of 14 million moms on the What to Expect app and whattoexpect.com, and founded the What to Expect Project to help underserved women experience a healthy pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby — wherever they live. The project includes Baby Basics, a free, culturally sensitive guide that has delivered vital information and support to nearly 1 million at-risk moms; Special Delivery, a partnership with the USO that has hosted over 250 baby showers for military moms around the world; and #BumpDay, a social media campaign dedicated to awareness of the global crisis of maternal mortality.
“If motherhood is the ultimate sisterhood — as I always say it is — then our sisters are at risk,” Heidi wrote after visiting vulnerable pregnant women in Sierra Leone, among the most dangerous places to give birth.
By her side throughout this incredible journey has been her husband, Erik, her partner in What to Expect and in life.
The evening of celebration and comedy showcases Jhpiego’s global achievements and impact in the delivery of lifesaving, high-quality health care to women and families. Working for 46 years in 155 countries to ensure equity, quality and respect in health care services, Jhpiego insists that where a woman lives should not determine if she lives.
For more information about Jhpiego and its annual gala, visit www.jhpiego.org.
