Deborah Dingell

Debbie Dingell's friends often wonder when she has time to sleep. Certainly, as the vice-chairman of the General Motors Foundation, and executive director of Global Community Relations and Government Relations at GM, Dingell has little time for power naps.

She has been married to Michigan Congressman John Dingell for the past 24 years, and she is a force in her own right. In addition to her busy schedule with GM, she spends much of her personal time on other philanthropic endeavors. She is a nationally recognized advocate for women and children's health issues, and a civic and community leader in both Washington , D.C. and Michigan .

Debbie Dingell's passion for women's issues began long ago when she realized how women were discriminated against in the area of health. She was shocked when she realized, almost 20 years ago, that there were virtually no major studies on women's health issues. Up until that time, studies on men, inferred the same results to women. She was appalled to find that funding was practically nonexistent for breast cancer research and other health-related illnesses women face, and that insurance companies were forcing women out of hospital beds almost immediately after childbirth. At that time, there were many medical assumptions being made about women's health, that we now know to be untrue, thanks in part to Dingell's advocacy efforts. For example, it wasn't long ago when estrogen was thought to be good for a woman. In July of 2002, more than three years earlier than scheduled, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ended a major clinical trial in estrogen plus progestin, after concluding that in fact there was an increased risk of stroke, breast cancer, heart disease, and blood clots in healthy menopausal women who took part in the study. And it was only last month that the NIH estrogen-alone study ended early, after concluding that it increased the risk of stroke and dementia. “Getting the NIH study funded is a direct result of the advocacy efforts of women 20 years ago,” says Dingell. True, and in fact Dingell was one of the ones leading the charge. Today there have been a number of major pieces of legislation concerning women's health, and Dingell will continue to be an effective voice for women's causes. However, she says that this is the decade that she will focus her attention on mental health issues.

Dingell also co-founded the Children's Inn at NIH, a private, nonprofit residence for pediatric outpatients at NIH. Its focus is to keep children together with their families during serious illness, thereby reducing the children's stress levels and facilitating their healing.

In addition, Dingell is the founding chair of the National Women's Health Resource Center and has testified before Congress on important women's health issues. She was a member of the National Institute of Health's (NIH) Advisory Panel for Women's Research, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Michigan Women's Foundation, the Michigan Women's Economic Club, and she has served as vice chair of the Barbara Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit. Dingell has been honored for her tireless efforts with regard to cancer treatment and care, including the Susan Koman, Connie Mack Public Policy Award in March 2004, and an award from the Cancer Research Foundation of America's, Action for Cancer Awareness Program, alongside Katie Couric.

As a DNC committeewomen she is very active in democratic politics. Dingell has been a Michigan delegate at Democratic national conventions, and she was the Michigan chair of Vice President Al Gore's campaign in 2000. (Partisan as she may be, it is a testament to Dingell that in a political town such as Washington, she was nominated for the Men and Women of Substance and Style Awards by both a Republican and a Democrat.)

Dingell founded the U.S. House of Representatives Child Day Care Center and currently sits on its board. She is the vice chair of the House's Members and Families Committee, where she imparts her knowledge on how congressional spouses can play an active role in the Washington community without neglecting their districts back home, and why it is so important to get involved.