Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen Named to TIME Magazine’s TIME 100 — Annual List of the 100 Most Influential People in the World
For Immediate Release: April 17, 2019
New York, NY — TIME announced today that Dr. Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund was named to the 2019 TIME 100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The full list and related tributes appear in the April 29, 2019 issue of TIME, available on newsstands Friday, April 19, and online now at time.com/time100.
In November of 2018, Dr. Wen began serving as president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund — marking the first time in nearly 50 years that a physician led the organization. Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading provider of sexual and reproductive health care and education with over 600 health centers across all 50 states, serves nearly 2.5 million women, men, non-binary people, youth, and families every year. With more than 12 million active supporters, Planned Parenthood works to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights nationwide.
Dr. Wen previously served as the Commissioner of Health for the City of Baltimore where she led the nation’s oldest continuously operating health department to fight the opioid epidemic, treat violence and racism as public health issues, and improve maternal and child health. A patient advocate and emergency physician, she has dedicated her career to expanding access to health care for the most vulnerable communities, reducing health disparities, and finding innovative solutions to address public health problems.
“For more than 100 years, no organization has done more for women’s health than Planned Parenthood, and it is a privilege to lead an organization that has meant so much to me personally, my family, and millions of people in the U.S. and worldwide,” said Dr. Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “My mother, sister, and I all depended on Planned Parenthood for medical care, just like one in five women in America, and I will continue to fight with everything I have to protect the health care access of millions of patients who rely on us. This is the fight of our time — reproductive health care is health care, and health care must be recognized as a human right for all.”
The TIME 100 list, now in its 16th year, recognizes the activism, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals. TIME editor in chief Edward Felsenthal has said of the list in the past, “TIME’s annual list of the world’s most influential people is a designation of individuals whose time, in our estimation, is now. The TIME 100 isn’t a measure of power, though many on the list wield it. Nor is it a collection of milestones accumulated. As our staff considers candidates, we often find ourselves wowed by those with stunning lifetime achievements."
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood affiliates serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.