Prof dr Marleen Temmerman, MD, MPH, PhD, FRCOG, FAAS, MBS, AAAS, leads the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya. Prior she was the Director of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR) at the World Health Organization (Geneva, Switzerland).
Founding Director of the International Centre of Reproductive Health (ICRH) at Ghent University with sister research organizations in Kenya and Mozambique, and a large global collaborative academic network of 27 Universities globally.
Strong academic and scientific background with over 600 publications and books in the area of women’s health and rights, with a Hirsch index of 98 (google scolar). She supervised many PhD students in Europe, Africa, Latin-America and China and received several awards and honours for her research and advocacy work. Concurrent Professor Fudan University, National Institute Family Planning Research, China; Honorary appointments at University of the Western Cape, South-Africa, Free University Brussels, Belgium.
Elected Senator in the Belgian Parliament (2007) where she was member of the Commission on Social Affairs, and Chair of the Commission on Foreign Affairs. In that capacity, she was member of the European Parliamentary Forum and Chair of the HIV/AIDS Advisory Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
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. She is 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.
Affiliations and Memberships: Professor-Emeritus Ghent University, Belgium; Chair, Health management Board of Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Nairobi County, Kenya; Scientific Advisory Committee of the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP); FIGO committee for Human Rights, Refugees and Violence against Women; UNFPA Global Advisory Council; WHO Expert Advisory Group on Cervical Cancer Elimination; AU-EU Advisory Group on Research and Innovation in Health; Guttmacher-Lancet Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the post-2015 world; Lancet Standing Commission on Adolescent Health; Board member of PMNCH, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health; Board member of CUGH, Consortium of Universities Global Health.
Selected awards: American Academy Arts and Sciences 2022; Moran of the Burning Spear, awarded by HE President Kenyatta, 2020; U2- recognition as Women Leader by Bono during his 2017 Joshua Tree Tour in Brussels ‘Women of the World Unite’, 2017; FIGO Distinguished Merit Award, Vancouver, 2015; Top 100 Women Leaders in Global Health, The Graduate Institute/Global Health Program, Switzerland, 2015; BMJ Lifetime Achievement Award 2010.