Nahid Toubia

Nahid Toubia (Arabic:ناهد طوبيا ) (born 1951) is a Sudanese surgeon and women's health rights activist, specializing in research into female genital mutilation. She is an associate professor at Columbia University School of Public Health. She sits on scientific and advisory committees for the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and UNDP. She is also vice-chair of the advisory committee of the Women's Rights Watch Project of Human Rights Watch.

Focusing on reproductive health and gender inequality in Africa and the Middle East, Toubia is the author or co-author of several books, including Women of the Arab World: The Coming Challenge (1988), Female Genital Mutilation: A Call for Global Action (1995), and Female Genital Mutilation: A Guide to Worldwide Laws and Policies (2000).

Education Toubia was born in Khartoum North, Sudan, However, due to the lack of intensity of private education in Sudan, she took a state exam to permit her admission to Khartoum Secondary School for Girls. From 1990 she worked for four years at the Population Council in New York City. She has also worked on papers for medical practitioners to use when treating victims of FGM. In addition, she advocates for and researches other aspects of women's health, including post-abortion care.

Activism Toubia is the founder and president of Research, Action and Information Network for the Bodily Integrity of Women (Rainbo), an international organization which works to eliminate FGM through women’s self-empowerment and social change. The organization has offices in New York City and London, and works in Uganda, South Africa, the Gambia, and Nigeria. Rainbo played a prominent role in changing the view of FGM from being a predominantly medical concern to a human rights issue.

Selected works Women of the Arab World: The Coming Challenge (1988) Female Circumcision as a Public Health Issue (1994) Female Genital Mutilation: A Call for Global Action (1995) with Susan Izett, Learning About Social Change : A Research and Evaluation Guidebook Using Female Circumcision as a Case Study (1999) Caring for Women with Circumcision: A Technical Manual for Health Care Providers (1999) with Anika Rahman, Female Genital Mutilation: A Guide to Worldwide Laws and Policies (2000) Learning About Social Change: A Research and Evaluation Guidebook Using Female Circumcision as a Case Study (1999, with Susan Izett) The Synergistic Relationship Between Health and Human Rights: A Case Study Using Female Genital Mutilation (1997, co-authored)