Dr. Laura Stachel, Co-founder and Executive Director of We Care Solar®, is an obstetrician-gynecologist with
 fourteen years of clinical experience. She holds an M.D. from University of California, San Francisco and an M.P.H.
in Maternal and Child Health from University of California, Berkeley. She was a staff researcher at the Blum Center
for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley until 2015. Her research on maternal mortality in Nigeria in 2008
alerted her to the deleterious effects of energy poverty on maternal health outcomes. Along with Hal Aronson,
she co-founded We Care Solar to bring simple solar electric solutions to maternal and child health care in regions
without reliable electricity. We Care Solar has equipped more than 2000 health facilities in over 20 countries with 
the We Care Solar Suitcase®, a compact solar energy system providing essential lighting and power.
Laura is passionate about promoting sustainable energy solutions for women’s health and speaks around the
world on this topic. She has been active in the UN Foundation’s Sustainable Energy for All Initiative and has
co-chaired a Practitioners Working Group on Energy and Health. Laura was one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2013.
For her work with We Care Solar, Laura received numerous awards, including the 2015 UN DESA “Powering the 
Future We Want” Award, the 2015 UCSF Alumni Award, the 2014 Katerva Gender Equality Award, the 2012 Clean
Energy, Education and Empowerment Award, the 2012 United Nations Association Global Citizens Award, the 
2011 Tech Award, the 2010 Jefferson Award for Public Service, and the 2010 UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Award for
Civic Engagement.