Senior Research Advisor
Prof. Marleen Temmerman is the founding Director of ICRHK, and currently the Senior Research Advisor.
She is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist by training with a Master’s in Public health, and a PhD from Ghent University.
She is a member of the Maisha Maarifa HIV/SRH Research Hub of the Kenyan National AIDS Control Council (NACC) that works to enhance access to HIV/SRH research and information to stakeholders and decision makers at all levels including the Counties and, a Member of the Kenya National Domestication of the Global AA-HA! Guidance Committee (Adolescent Health), as well as a member of the Beyond-Zero Technical Working Groups.
Her current international affiliations/memberships include: Guttmacher-Lancet Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the post-2015 world; Lancet Standing Commission on Adolescent Health, Scientific Advisory Committee of the EDCTP (European and Developing Countries Trial Partnership), as well as professional bodies, Senior Fellow in the Institute for Global Health Diplomacy in Geneva. UNESCO Chair on Youth Leadership in Science, Health, Gender and Education at the Aga Khan University.
A former Belgian parliament senator, Prof. Marleen is also currently the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aga Khan University Hospital and Director of the Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University East Africa (Nairobi, Kenya). Prior to that she was the Director of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR) at the World Health Organization (Geneva, Switzerland). She served as a member of the iERG (independent expert review group), installed by UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, to raise the accountability in the ‘Every Woman, Every Child’ platform to accelerate MDG 4 and 5, and takes pride in being one of the penholders of the UN Global Strategy for Women’s, Children and Adolescents’ Health 2016-2030, launched by the UNSG and partners in September 2015, transitioning from the MDGs to the SDGs.
Prof. Marleen has co-authored over 500 publications and books in the area of women’s health, with a Hirsch index of 80. She has supervised many PhD students in Europe, Africa, Latin-America and China and received several awards and honors for her research and advocacy work. Concurrent Professor Fudan University, Honorary appointments: University of the Western Cape, South-Africa, Free University Brussels, Belgium; National Institute Family Planning Research, China.
