RESISTANCE AND REIMAGINATION: GENDER, CHANGE, AND THE ARTS
2020 Conference
*This conference has been postponed to comply with the campus-wide notice to avoid large group events amidst COVID-19 health and safety concerns. Click here for more information.
Our Leadership
Our Leadership Circle
The 4W Leadership Circle is a collective of leaders from a range of fields, working to make life better for women and make the world better for all.
Our Projects
Featured News & Events
News
4W Director Receives UNA Dane County’s 2019 Global Citizen Award
GHI Associate Director and 4W Initiative Director Lori DiPrete Brown was recognized for her work on women’s well-being in Wisconsin and around the world.
4W Director Studies Gender For One Health
4W Director, Lori DiPrete Brown, convened a workshop at the intersection of one health, gender analysis and women in agriculture, alongside Global Health Institute Associate Director Chris Olsen and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Their …
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Events
International Women’s Day 2019: Better The Balance, Better The World
Sponsored by the 4W Initiative and AFRICaide. This International Women’s Day Annual Event celebrates women from all walks of life, highlights and reflects on the work of those who have been engaged in improving conditions …
2019 4W Summit on Women, Gender, and Wellbeing
FOURTH ANNUAL 4W SUMMIT ON WOMEN, GENDER AND WELL-BEING AND 42ND WISCONSIN WOMEN AND GENDER STUDIES CONFERENCE APRIL 11-13, 2019 PYLE CENTER, MADISON, WI Join us for the 2019 4W Summit on Women, Gender and …
International Education Lecture from Circle of Sisterhood Founder Ginny Carroll
November, 11 2018 Education in Developing Countries The importance of providing education to women in developing countries and what we can do to help. A talk with Ginny Carroll Founder of Circle of Sisterhood
4W STREETS OF HOPE II:Human Trafficking in the Context of Migration
4W was honored to host a film screening and discussion of Irioweniasi: El Hilo de la Luna (The Thread of the Moon) as part of the 4W STREETS of Hope II Forum on Human Trafficking …
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4W Conveners: Engaging Our Campus
Lori DiPrete Brown, MSPH, M.T.S 
Director, 4W Initiative
“The opportunities for women in our world today are as great as the challenges. We who are involved with 4W—faculty, staff, students, supporters, and community partners—find hope, joy, and purpose in this shared work. We proceed with the awareness that we ourselves are a work in progress. We aim to grow in our ability to place the lived experiences of women and historically marginalized people at the center of our concerns. It is by directing the assets of UW-Madison toward these concerns that we make life better for women, make the world better for all, and provide an example of the ways in which higher education can engage in transformative societal change.”
Rebecca Blank, PhD
Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“The School of Human Ecology, the Global Health Institute and the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies have created 4W with a strong partnership that brings together top researchers from many fields to focus on one central question: How do we harness the power of scientific knowledge to improve the lives of women around the world? This program can have a deep and lasting impact on women, their families and their communities. And by creating international leadership and service learning opportunities for our students, 4W will inspire a new generation of scholars dedicated to women’s health and well-being.”
Soyeon Shim, PhD
Dean, School of Human Ecology, UW-Madison
“When women suffer, everyone suffers – men, children, communities and families. The challenges facing women in Wisconsin and around the globe are multifaceted, thorny, and stubborn. Big problems need big thinkers. The 4W Initiative brings together alumni, students, innovators, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and communities to find answers where none exist, and to do so with empathy. That’s why I am proud to be part of this initiative, and excited about the future.”
Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH
Director, Global Health Institute, UW-Madison
“Women hold the key to health at home, in their communities, across their nations, and around the globe.”
Aili Tripp
Chair, Department of Gender & Women’s Studies, UW-Madison
“Gender and Women’s studies scholars are engaged in gender analysis to better understand how women the world over are striving to improve their livelihoods, health, education, role in politics, and other concerns. The 4W Initiative allows for collaborative synergies across campus and beyond around these issues.”