International Work and Advocacy

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Avery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Mary Ellen Avery’s international work with UNICEF, following her retirement from Children’s Hospital, has perhaps led her to become, in Samuel Katz’s words, “The world’s best known pediatrician.” This role allowed her to advocate for broad access to basic medical services for children in developing countries, promoting especially the polio vaccine and oral rehydration therapy.

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Avery's travel diary, 1994

In an interview with Children's News, she spoke of one experience in particular:

“I went with Jim [James Grant, then UNICEF director] to Cuba at a time when a diplomatic passport was required. At Cuba's institute of health, they wanted to make their own surfactant, because it was expensive to purchase. So I gave them the recipe. I got a note the following Christmas: "By the way, our neonatal mortality is lower than yours." When a dictator wants something done, it gets done!”

International Work and Advocacy