Laura Stachel, M.D., M.P.H Biography

Laura Stachel is a veteran medical doctor who founded and leads We Care Solar, a non-profit that manufactures suitcase-sized solar electric systems for use in developing-world medical clinics. Stachel worked as an ob/gyn doctor after graduating from medical school, but in 2002, pain from degeneration in her neck vertebrae forced her to stop delivering babies and ultimately leave clinical medicine. She returned to school for a master's degree in public health and began lecturing at UC Berkeley. While pursuing her doctorate, she travelled to Nigeria in 2008 to investigate why maternal mortality rates were so high. During that time, she witnessed how a lack of electricity had a direct impact on the health of women and infants during childbirth. Hal Aronson, her husband, was developing solar education programmes in the San Francisco Bay area. She asked if he could design a system that would target the most important areas of the Nigerian hospital for maternal health. The solar electric system he designed for the maternity ward, labour room, operating theatre, and laboratory assisted the hospital in achieving a 70% decrease in maternal mortality the following year. Surrounding clinics began to request solar power, so Hal created solar power for ob/gyn clinics in developing countries. Hal devised a suitcase-sized system to allow Laura to transport these to Africa. The Solar Suitcase featured removable solar panels for roof mounting, a charge controller, a 12 volt battery, LED lights, and multiple outlets; the Solar Suitcase was later expanded to include phone chargers, a foetal monitor, and customised long-lasting LED lights. The first one was brought back to Nigeria by Stachel in 2009, and the clinic asked to keep it. Hal and Laura received additional assistance from an engineer, Brent Moellenberg, as well as assistance from Bay Area solar companies Everbright Solar and Holly Solar Products, in order to master the design and work out the manufacturing details. We Care Solar (formally WE CARE — an abbreviation for Women's Emergency Communication & Reliable Electricity) was founded by the couple.

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