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Award-winning PBS Anchor & Managing Editor Judy Woodruff, Israel Ambassador H.E. Ron Dermer & Broadway and TV Star Megan Hilty Set for Hadassah’s Celebration 2018 Women’s Health and Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC May 15-17

(May 11, 2018 – NEW YORK, NY) – Award-winning PBS News Anchor and Managing Editor Judy Woodruff and H.E. Ron Dermer, Israel Ambassador to the U.S., have been confirmed for Hadassah’s Celebration 2018: From Passion to Action Women’s Health and Advocacy Conference at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC, May 15-17,announced Ellen Hershkin, National President, Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA).  The conference is a national gathering of HWZOA membership which will advance its mission to address health interests and advocacy concerns important to women in the US. Broadway and television star Megan Hilty will be featured at the conference’s “A Touch of Red” Gala on May 16 at 7 PM.  For more information and registration, please visit my.hadassah.org/summit.

Judy Woodruff will moderate the Women’s Health and Advocacy Conference panel, “Privacy and Information: Women’s Health and Technology,” at the National Press Club from 7-9 PM on May 15. The panel will discuss technological advances in the U.S. healthcare system, including the impact of innovation on women’s health and the threats these advances pose to patient privacy.  The debate will highlight how personal data is managed and protected in conjunction with the ease and trust which the consumer places in internet technology and whether technology improves or impedes women’s access to health care.  

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States H.E. Ron Dermer will address HWZOA membership on Hadassah’s contributions to the safety and well-being of the State of Israel, celebrating Israel’s 70th Anniversary.

The 2nd Annual Woman’s Health Empowerment Summit with the 28-member Coalition for Women’s Health Equity, which HWZOA launched in 2016, is scheduled for May 16.  

Celebration 2018 will culminate on May 17 with HWZOA’s 2018 Day on The Hill, a day of advocacy on women’s health issues on Capitol Hill for over 300 HWZOA members with national legislators.  HWZOA has over 300,000 members and Associates in over 700 units in every congressional district in the country.

Later this year, the nation’s largest women’s Zionist organization will sponsor “From Dream to Innovation: Hadassah Milestone Mission,” October 7-15, 2018, which includes tours of sites in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Northern Israel, plus tours of HMO facilities and seminars with HMO medical professionals.  For information and enrollment in the Hadassah Milestone Mission, please visit my.hadassah.org.

Hershkin states: “As Israel marks its 70th anniversary, we proudly realize the dream of Henrietta Szold with the centennial celebrations of Hadassah Medical Organization the Henrietta Szold Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Nursing and HMO’s Department of Ophthalmology. ‘Celebration 2018: From Passion to Action’ perfectly captures the spirit and energy of our slogan, ‘Hadassah, The Power of Women Who Do.’   Award-winning broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff‘s acclaimed journalist expertise and Broadway’s Megan Hilty’s extraordinary singing talents will inspire Hadassah members with a sense of pride and purpose during this extraordinary anniversary year.”

PBS Newshour Anchor and Managing Editor Judy Woodruff has covered politics for more than four decades at PBS, CNN and NBC.  Among numerous other awards, she is the recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award in Broadcast Journalism and is the funding chair of International Women’s Media Foundation.

Israel Ambassador to the United State Ron Dermer was appointed in 2013. Previously, Dermer served as Israel’s Economic Envoy to the U.S. from 2005-2008.

Film, stage and television actress/singer Megan Hilty has starred on Broadway in Wicked, 9 to 5 and Noises Off and in concert versions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Annie Get Your Gun.  Television appearance include Smash, Sean Saves the World, Project Runway, Difficult People and The Good Wife and film roles include Warren Beatty’s Rules Don’t Apply.  

Hadassah’s National Portfolio Officer Frieda Rosenberg and National Vice-President Rhoda Smolow are Co-Chairs of Celebration 2018: From Passion to Action - Women’s Health and Advocacy Conference. Rosenberg and Smolow note, “Hadassah’s first ever Women’s Health and Advocacy Conference will address the critical women’s health issues and concerns that affect the lives, well-being and safety of women everywhere and celebrate the inspirational accomplishments of Hadassah Medical Organization at 100 and the State of Israel at 70.”  

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA) is the largest Jewish women’s organization in the United States. With 330,000 members, associates and supporters Hadassah brings Jewish women together to effect change and advocate on critical issues such as medical care and research and women's empowerment.  Through the Hadassah Medical Organization's two hospitals, the world-renowned trauma center and the leading research facility in Jerusalem, Hadassah supports the delivery of exemplary patient care to over a million people every year. HMO serves without regard to race, religion or nationality and earned a Nobel Peace Prize Nomination in 2005 for building “bridges to peace” through equality in medical treatment. For more information, visit my.hadassah.org.