Please join us for this exclusive NYC screening and discussion
hosted by the United Nations Association of New York
Presented in honor of International Women's Day and CSW70
Shadows in Sunlight
A film about women health workers on the front lines of polio eradication in Pakistan
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Post-screening panel with guests include
Sheeba Afghani
Global Chief, Social Behaviour Change for Polio Eradication
UNICEF New York
Nyasha Laing
Founding Partner, Red Owl
Independent producer, writer, impact strategist and lawyer
Mary Eileen Shackleton
Rotary Club, Metro New York City
Opening remarks by
Mr. Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon
Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN
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Thursday | 12 March 2026 | 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Admission: FREE
Park Avenue Screening Room
500 Park Avenue (at East 59th Street)
New York, NY 10022
6:00 p.m. | Film Screening
6:30 p.m. | Panel Discussion with Q+A
7:30 p.m. | Reception
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Registrations for this event are now CLOSED
Ishrat Rahim is one of almost 400,000 women working across Pakistan to vaccinate the country’s 40 million children against polio. In her work, she often encounters suspicion and mistrust, due to cultural and religious reasons.
While she works, she and her female colleagues are constantly protected by armed guards. Despite sometimes threatening situations, she persistently continues her work to convince the city’s residents of the benefits of the vaccine and the potential for eradicating polio.
Shadows in Sunlight is one in a series of films that explore how researchers and health care professionals are building on the foundation laid by Nobel Prize laureates to prevent and treat diseases today.
The film, and Rahim’s work, draws inspiration from the legacy of John Enders, Thomas Weller and Frederick Robbins, awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1954. In 1949, they succeeded in cultivating a virus in a lab, a crucial precondition for the development of a vaccine against polio.
The film was made possible through a collaboration between Nobel Prize Outreach and Grain Media, with support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Following the screening, a panel discussion will include Sheeba Afghani, Global Chief of Social Behaviour Change for Polio Eradication, at UNICEF in New York; Mary Eileen Shackleton, former District 7230 Governor and past president of the Rotary Club of Metro New York City; as well as other guests to be announced. The panel moderator is Nyasha Laing, an independent producer, writer, and lawyer who is also Founding Partner at Red Owl. Opening remarks will be delivered by Mr. Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN.
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Opening Remarks
Amb. Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon
Ambassador Usman Jadoon is a career diplomat who joined the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations (UN) in New York as the Deputy Permanent Representative on 11 October 2023. He earlier worked as Director General (UN) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from August 2020 to October 2023. He has previously served in the Ministry as Director for Arms Control and Disarmament from 2011-2013; and as Assistant Director in the UN Division in 2006, and in the Protocol Division in 2004-2005. He remained posted abroad in Pakistan’s Permanent Missions in Vienna from 2006-2011; and in Geneva from 2013-2020.
Usman Jadoon attended a Spanish language course at the University of Salamanca in Spain from 2005-2006. Holding a Masters degree in International Relations from University of Leicester, UK, he joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 2003. During his diplomatic career, he has worked on a wide range of multilateral policy issues and represented his country in numerous international forums dealing with international security; arms control and disarmament; sustainable development; climate change; human rights and humanitarian affairs. He is married with two daughters.
Guest Speakers
Sheeba Afghani
Sheeba Afghani is a seasoned behaviour change scientist with over 15 years of experience and is passionate about working with communities in strengthening positive social norms, behaviours and practices for the health, development, and well-being of children.
One of UNICEF’s expertise within the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partnership lies in building trust and motivating parents to vaccinate their children against polio — the first critical step to achieving high vaccination coverage. As the Senior Manager for the Polio Eradication Programme at UNICEF Headquarters since April 2023, Sheeba leads the global research and design of social behaviour change (SBC) strategies and technical guidance to countries affected or at risk of polio in strengthening partnership and engagement with local communities and influencers to build trust and polio vaccine acceptance.
Previously, between 2018 and 2023, she was a Senior Communication for Development Specialist for the UNICEF Polio Programme in Pakistan, one the last two polio endemic countries in the world. As the lead for technical support on social behavior change to the national polio program, she helped the government execute strategic interventions that improved engagement and support from local leaders and influencers, in addition to the private sector, academia and research institutions, for polio eradication activities. Prior to that, from 2014 to 2017, Sheeba served as the head of the SBC Unit, in UNICEF Uganda. In this role, she worked across multiple programs and was recognized for her significant contribution to maternal child health, early childhood development and adolescent development programmes.
Sheeba hails from Islamabad, Pakistan. She has a Master of Science degree in Development and Gender from the London School of Economics and an MBA degree in Marketing from Preston University, Islamabad.
Mary Eileen Shackleton
Mary Eileen Shackleton served as District 7230 Governor in 2020-21. Mary is Past President (2015-16) of the Rotary Club of Metro New York City. She currently serves as District Learning Leader and District Endowment and Major Gifts Subcommittee Chair. Mary will chair the Mid-Northeast Multi-District Presidents-Elect Learning Seminar in March 2026 and is Treasurer of the MDP Alliance. Mary co-founded the Rotary Action Group for Girls Empowerment (2025) and was elected Program Director on its current board.
Mary has represented the Rotary International President at several District Conferences. She was appointed Alternate Representative (United Nations, New York) in the Rotary Representative Network (2023-25). Mary has been a panelist and moderator for both webinars and breakout sessions held in conjunction with the Rotary International Convention. In 2025, Mary Rotary travels took her to India and Pakistan to immunize children against polio.
Mary is an active member of the Zone 32 regional leader team, serving as the Endowment/Major Gifts Advisor for Region 39 (2023-26). In Zone 32, Mary has served as an Empowering Girls Initiative Ambassador (2021-23) and Assistant Rotary Membership Coordinator (2022-23). Mary was a learning leader for 2021-22 District Governors in Zones 28 & 32.
In District 7230, Mary served as Vice Governor (2022-23) and a two-term Assistant Governor (2016-18) for Manhattan-area clubs. Mary was the District's Council on Legislation Representative (2023-26). She has also served as District Rotary Foundation Chair (2022-23), Public Image Chair (2021-22), Executive Secretary (2018-19), and chaired the District Grant and Stewardship Subcommittee (2018-19). Mary co-chaired the 2020 District Conference. She graduated from the Rotary Leadership Institute in 2018. Mary is a Major Donor and member of both the Paul Harris and Bequest Societies. She received the Regional Service Award for a Polio-Free World in 2023.
Mary received recognition as a Distinguished Toastmaster (2025) and believes in the power of the partnership between Rotary International and Toastmasters International. She was Charter President of the Goodwill Toastmasters Club, which she co-founded with her local counterpart, Toastmasters International District Director for 2020-21, Patricia Kidwingira. Mary was an Area Director in Toastmasters International District 46 (2022-23). Mary was honored to moderate a storytelling webinar co-sponsored by Rotary International and Toastmasters International that featured two past World Champions of Public Speaking in April 2024.
Mary is a Research Specialist with the international law firm Kirkland & Ellis, LLP. She received a B.A. (Communication) from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. Mary went on to receive a J.D. from the Maurer School of Law, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, and a M.I.L.S. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. She is a member of the American Association of Law Libraries, the International Legal Technology Association, and the Law Library Association of Greater New York. Mary became a member of the Indiana Bar in 1988.
Mary is a proud Midwest farmer's daughter and fourth-generation Rotarian. Her paternal great-grandfather, Evan Shackleton, joined the Rotary Club of Attica-Williamsport, IN (USA) in 1938, followed by his son, Hubert B., some years later. Both parents (Hubert J. and Wilma) have served as the club's president. Mary and her mother were serving Assistant Governors at the same time. Her paternal aunt (Suzann Shackleton) is also a Rotarian.
Mary enjoys photography, reading, baking when she can, travel, exploring NYC, all water sports, dancing, and most especially meeting members of the Rotary family. She is a life-long fan of the Purdue Boilermakers, Chicago Cubs, and most sports.
Moderator
Nyasha Laing
Nyasha Laing is an independent producer, writer, impact strategist and lawyer. As a Founding Partner at Red Owl she integrates legal and social justice frameworks, research, industry knowledge and transformative storytelling into strategies for film distribution, engagement and impact. Nyasha’s storytelling has been featured in Indie Memphis, the Pan-African Film Festival, Yes Magazine, the BBC and international museums as well as on PBS. Nyasha holds a BA in History from Yale University and a JD from NYU School of Law.