Mitchell Besser is an obstetrician-gynecologist and works to meet the public health needs of women living with HIV.
He is the founder of mothers2mothers, an organization that trains and recruits HIV-positive mothers to educate and support other pregnant women and new mothers living with HIV.
He is also the husband of Annie Lennox, a famous Scottish singer, songwriter, activist and philanthropist.
File
- Full Name: Mitchell Craig Besser
- Date of birth: September 29, 1958
- Age: 65 years old
- Gender: Male
- Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Obstetrician and gynecologist
- Height: 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm)
- Parents: Marvin Besser and Barbara Besser
- Siblings: 3
- Spouse: Annie Lennox (married 2012)
- Children: 2
- Relationship status: Married
- Net worth: $5 million
Early life and education
Mitchell Besser, now 65, was born on September 29, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, to Marvin and Barbara Besser.
His father is a lawyer and his mother is a homemaker. He grew up in a Jewish family and attended Beverly Hills High School. He has three siblings, including Richard, Andrew and Karen Besser.
He developed an early interest in medicine and social justice and volunteered at a free clinic for the homeless and a hospital for AIDS patients.
He graduated from high school in 1976 and attended Harvard University, majoring in history and science.
He also participated in various extracurricular activities, such as rowing, theater, and student government. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in 1980 and continued his studies at Harvard Medical School, where he received his MD in 1984.
He then completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and was board certified in 1989.
Personal life
Mitchell Besser has been married to Annie Lennox since 2012. They met in 2009 when Lennox visited the mothers2mothers organization in South Africa and became a supporter of the organization.
Besser was married to his first wife, Debra Jackson, at the time, but they separated in 2010 and divorced in 2011.
Lenox and Debra have two children and two sons named Sam and Max Besser.
Lennox was also previously married twice to Radha Raman and Uri Fruchtmann and has two daughters, Lola and Tali, from his second marriage.
Besser and Lennox were married on September 15, 2012, in a private ceremony on a boat on the River Thames in London.
Lennox’s daughters were bridesmaids, and guests included celebrities such as Colin Firth, Ruby Wax and Paul McCartney. Besser and Lennox live in London and are actively involved in many humanitarian and environmental causes.
Career
Mitchell Besser has had a distinguished career as an obstetrician, gynecologist, and social entrepreneur. He began his career in 1989 when he joined the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
He taught and practiced at UCLA for 12 years and also served as director of the UCLA Center for Culture, Health, and Sexuality.
He researches topics such as HIV prevention, reproductive health and sexual behavior and has published several articles and book chapters.
In 2000, he moved to Cape Town, South Africa, where he joined the University of Cape Town as an associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology.
He was also appointed head of the Gugulethu Obstetrics Department, a public hospital serving a low-income community with high HIV rates.
There he witnessed the devastating impact of HIV on pregnant women and their babies and decided to do something about it.
He founded mothers2mothers in 2001 with the aim of reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and improving the health and well-being of mothers and children.
He developed a care model that included training and recruiting HIV-positive mothers as mentors who would provide education, counseling, and support to other pregnant women and new mothers living with HIV.
He also established partnerships with local health authorities, NGOs and donors and expanded the program to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Since its inception, mothers2mothers has reached more than 11 million women and children and contributed to a significant reduction in mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
The organization has diversified its services to include family planning, cervical cancer screening, tuberculosis treatment, and child development.
Besser served as CEO of mothers2mothers until 2013, when he stepped down to focus on other projects. He remains a founder and board member of the organization and has been its board chairman since 2020.
In 2014, Besser founded another social enterprise, AgeWell, which focuses on meeting the needs of older adults living in the community.
AgeWell recruits and trains independent older adults to provide companionship and promote health and well-being for older adults with reduced abilities.
The AgeWell model aims to reduce loneliness, depression and hospitalisation among older people and create meaningful employment and income opportunities for them. AgeWell operates in South Africa and the United States and has plans to expand to other countries.
Besser has received numerous awards and recognition for his work, including the Skoll Prize for Social Entrepreneurship, the Presidential Citizens Medal, the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and the Harvard Medical School Alumni Merit Award. He has also been featured in various media outlets, such as CNN, BBC, The Guardian, and TED.
Net worth
Mitchell Besser’s net worth is estimated at $5 million.
He made his fortune from his career as a doctor, professor and social entrepreneur.
Social media
- Instagram Name: None
- Twitter Username: None
