Bronwen Anders, MD, MHA, FAAP      Stories From the Field Reach Out and Read Medical Champion Reaches Out to Haiti Bronwen Anders, MD, is a doctor with wide-ranging interests and a great deal of stamina. A review of her professional accomplishments, honors, and awards show a life that would leave ordinary humans exhausted. After receiving a B.A. in Languages which showed her early intercontinental interests, Dr. Anders attended medical school. She later received two more degrees, one in Health Administration and another in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Dr. Anders also has a broad list of published papers on topics ranging from tuberculosis to the concepts of pre-natal care among Somali women, and has volunteered at medical clinics around the world, including in Haiti. What has been most apparent in Dr. Anders’ work throughout her career is her interest in all children not only receiving the best medical care possible, but also in having every advantage to make the most of their lives, which includes having books. And from the very beginnings of Reach Out and Read, now over 20 years ago, Dr. Anders has been an advocate for pediatric literacy. Providing children with books became a priority; while practicing, Dr. Anders gave thousands of books and literacy guidance to families in the San Diego area, as well as training other medical providers in the Reach Out and Read model. During this time, Dr. Anders has also been working with other medical professionals with an interest in Reach Out and Read to ensure that culturally appropriate books are available to Native American and Latino families. Dr. Anders attributes her lasting interest in Reach Out and Read to seeing what a difference having books in their home and using the importance of a doctor’s role in encouraging families to enjoy books can make to children. She also enjoys Reach Out and Read because talking to Reach Out and Read National staff, and listening to their Boston accents, reminds her of her Massachusetts’ roots. The recent catastrophic earthquake in Haiti has highlighted the desperate poverty that existed before the devastation. Dr. Anders has been interested in Haiti since high school, when she learned about the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, but was able to volunteer in Haiti only a few years ago. Working with the Haitian pediatricians through the Section of International Child Health at the AAP, she has been increasingly involved with advocacy projects with them. Dr. Anders went down after the earthquake to volunteer and is now back in San Diego; she is heavily involved with the AAP to ensure on-going volunteer support for child healthcare in Haiti. Dr. Anders’ latest project is creating a program similar to Reach Out and Read for the children in Haiti to provide books in Haitian-Creole and French. The yet-to-be named group will fundraise to purchase books for children, but their long-term goal is to have culturally-appropriate books written and published in Haiti that celebrate Haitian culture and make it possible for all children to have books in their lives as a step towards breaking the cycle of poverty. Reach Out and Read would like to thank Dr. Anders for all that she has done to promote literacy and school readiness, not only within her own community but throughout the world.   Return