Mitchell Besser is a doctor who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology and works to provide for the public health needs of women living with HIV.

He is the founder of mothers2mothers, an organization that trains and employs HIV-positive mothers to educate and support other pregnant women and new mothers with HIV.

He is also the husband of Annie Lennox, a famous Scottish singer, songwriter, activist, and philanthropist.

Profile

• Full name: Mitchell Craig Besser
• Date of birth: September 29, 1958
• Age: 65 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, USA
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Obstetrician and gynecologist
• Height: 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm)
• Parents: Marvin Besser and Barbara Besser
• Siblings: 3
• Spouse: Annie Lennox (m. 2012)
• Children: 2
• Relationship status: Married
• Net worth: $5 million

Early Life & Education

Mitchell Besser, currently 65, was born on September 29, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, to Marvin and Barbara Besser.

His father was a lawyer, and his mother was 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 became interested in medicine and social justice early on and volunteered at a free clinic for the homeless and a hospice for AIDS patients.

He graduated from high school in 1976 and enrolled at Harvard University, where he majored in history and science.

He was also involved in various extracurricular activities, such as rowing, theater, and student government. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in 1980 and continued his education at Harvard Medical School, where he earned his MD degree in 1984.

He then completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and became board-certified in 1989.

Personal Life

Mitchell Besser has been married to Annie Lennox since 2012. They met in 2009 when Lennox visited mothers2mothers 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 shared 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 her second marriage.

Besser and Lennox tied the knot on September 15, 2012, in a private ceremony on a boat on the Thames River in London.

Lennox’s daughters were the bridesmaids, and the guests included celebrities such as Colin Firth, Ruby Wax, and Paul McCartney. Besser and Lennox live in London and are active in various 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 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) faculty as an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

He taught and practiced at UCLA for 12 years and also served as the director of the UCLA Center for Culture, Health, and Sexuality.

He researched topics such as HIV prevention, reproductive health, and sexual behavior and published several papers 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 gynecology.

He was also appointed as the head of the Gugulethu Midwife Obstetric Unit, a public hospital that served a low-income community with a high prevalence of HIV.

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 to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV and improve the health and well-being of mothers and children.

He developed a model of care that involved training and employing HIV-positive mothers as mentors, who would provide education, counseling, and support to other pregnant women and new mothers 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 over 11 million women and children and has contributed to a significant reduction in mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

The organization has diversified its services, including family planning, cervical cancer screening, tuberculosis treatment, and child development.

Besser served as the CEO of mothers2mothers until 2013 when he stepped down to focus on other projects. He remains the founder and a board member of the organization and has been the board of directors chairman since 2020.

In 2014, Besser launched another social enterprise, AgeWell, dedicated to the needs of older persons living in communities.

AgeWell employs and trains independent older people to provide companionship and promote well-being and wellness among less able older people.

The AgeWell model aims to reduce loneliness, depression, and hospitalization among older people and to 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 Award for Social Entrepreneurship, the Presidential Citizens Medal of the United States, the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and the Harvard Medical School Alumni Award of Merit. 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 around $5 million.

He has earned wealth from his career as a doctor, a professor, and a social entrepreneur.

Social Media

• Instagram handle: N/A
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