Cynthia Steele- I am happy to write in celebration of Ayse Akin

I am happy to write in celebration of Ayse Akin 

Cynthia Steele

I am happy to write in celebration of Ayse Akin.  Ayse co-sponsored the first international conference on family planning counselling in 1992, which I was organizing, with colleagues,  on behalf of Engender Health.  She was an absolute pleasure to work with: the consummate professional, extremely knowledgeable, approachable, and so personable.  Ayse has a unique ability to be supremely informed from a technical perspective, while also sensitive to the circumstances and perspectives of women and youth, and practical in her approach to solutions.  Few are able to be sensitive to all dimensions.  Ayse and I have been in intermittent touch over the years and I have continued to find her charming, responsive and curious.  I admire that her professional interests continued to evolve and that she has remained a pioneer in pursuing new frontiers in reproductive health, not shying away from topics because they were controversial. Thank you, Ayse for being a brave, kind, smart role model!

With warmest regards,
Cynthia Steele
Executive Vice President, EMpower