Joan Ditzion

Joan Ditzion is an original founder of Our Bodies Ourselves and co-author of all nine editions of "Our Bodies, Ourselves" as well as "Ourselves and Our Children" (1978) and "Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause" (2006).

She was a long-standing member of the Our Bodies Ourselves board of directors and is currently the liaison to the Our Bodies Ourselves Founders Group.

Prior to retiring, Joan was a geriatric social worker, a profession that was compatible with her social justice values. Her focus gradually transitioned to issues of aging, older women and families.

In June 2016, Joan was awarded the Knee Wittman Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Foundation. She was also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers in 2014, and the Alumni Special Recognition Award by the Simmons School of Social Work Alumni Association in 2012.

She is always combating sexism and ageism. She fosters conscious, equitable aging and the vitality of feminist values in her writing, clinical work, teaching, speaking, workshops, and advocacy.

Married to her husband, Bruce, since 1967, she has two married sons, 2 lovely daughters-in-law, and three grandsons. She loves being a grandmother.