Care Providers “Bring a Chair to the Table”: Fetiya Awol, M.D., on Leading Change and Expanding Care in Ethiopia As a national leader in maternal health, Fetiya Awol, M.D., knows firsthand that equipping the next generation of women in medicine is the key to growing access to care and strengthening health systems. April 16, 2026 Fetiya Awol Abbagidi, M.D., has built her career around a simple but powerful idea: Health care is strongest when it is led from within communities and when women are equipped to lead. Born and raised in Jimma, a growing city in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, Awol’s journey into medicine began with curiosity. As a student, she was drawn to science but unsure of her path. Her parents instilled in her the belief that she could achieve anything. Over time, that curiosity became a calling.…