New York, NY— The Guttmacher Institute’s Co-Presidents and CEOs, Destiny Lopez and Jonathan Wittenberg, today announced the appointment of Dr. Onikepe Owolabi as Vice President for International Research. In this role, Dr. Owolabi will lead the Institute’s globally recognized team of scientists as they conduct rigorous, innovative and timely research to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. Her appointment is effective immediately.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Owolabi on our team. Her leadership, expertise and determination are truly inspiring. We look forward to working with her in this new capacity, as we navigate unprecedented challenges in documenting the sexual and reproductive health needs of people worldwide and as we continue to provide robust evidence to protect and expand access to care,” said Lopez.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Owolabi to our executive team as Vice President. Her deep expertise in reproductive health, unwavering commitment to Guttmacher’s mission and strong scientific leadership make her the ideal person to guide our international research efforts,” said Wittenberg.

“It is an honor and a great responsibility to lead this remarkable team of researchers, united by our mission to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. In a time when access to evidence-based care and rights remains critical, our work is more important than ever. Together, we will drive innovative research that informs policies and interventions that uphold individuals’ right to bodily autonomy and advances their ability to thrive. I look forward to collaborating with partners across sectors to create lasting impact,” said Dr. Owolabi.

Dr. Owolabi has served as Guttmacher’s Director of International Research since 2023. Prior to that she was the Senior Global Director for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health, and Family Planning at IntraHealth International. From 2016 to 2021, she was a Senior Research Scientist at Guttmacher, where she specialized in measuring abortion and maternal morbidity and evaluating the quality of sexual and reproductive health care within health systems.

With extensive research and programmatic expertise in maternal and reproductive health in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, Dr. Owolabi has authored or coauthored more than 50 peer-reviewed and other scientific publications.

She earned her medical degree from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, a master’s degree in global health from the University of Oxford, and a PhD from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The Guttmacher Institute will soon launch a search for a Vice President for Domestic Research role.