Graça Machel, African stateswoman whose decades long professional and public life is deeply rooted in the international advocacy for woman and children’s rights, visited patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital on Friday.
Her visit to the hospital included a tour of the cardiac intensive care unit, where she met patients, the global telehealth center, where she was able to experience first-hand the innovative technology used to connect doctors and patients across the world, and the Michael Fux Family Center, where she interacted with some of the young patients and their families.
Machel will be inducted into the Ambassador David M. Walters International Pediatric Hall of Fame during the 2018 Diamond Ball – Beyond Tomorrow taking place at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami on Saturday, October 27. Induction into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed by Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation and each inductee has demonstrated a passionate commitment to ensure the health and happiness of children everywhere.
Machel has created three non-governmental organizations in her own right. She founded and serves as President of the Foundation for Community Development and the Zizile Institute for Child Development. She founded the Graça Machel Trust in 2010 where she focuses on advocating for women’s economic and financial empowerment, food security, nutrition and education for all, as well as good governance.
Among numerous awards, Machel has received the United Nations’ Nansen Refugee Award, she was made an honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and awarded the World Health Organization’s highest honour, the WHO Gold Medal, for her enormous contributions to the health and wellbeing of women, children and adolescents.
"Our organization is honored to have the presence of Mrs. Graça Machel during our most anticipated event of the year. She has dedicated her life to improving the fate of women and children, inspiring hope, and building a more just and equitable world for us all," said Tim Birkenstock, Interim President and CEO, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation.
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About Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Where Children Matter Most (2024)
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South
Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with approximately
850 attending physicians, including more than 500 pediatric subspecialists. The 307-bed
hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with many specialty programs
routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. The
hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern
United States and since 2003 has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing
Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional
honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.