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MEDIA CENTER Population Council’s James F. Phillips Recognized for
NEW YORK (29 July 2004) — James F. Phillips will receive the 2004 Marjorie Horn Operations Research Award during a ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC on August 3. Presented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), this prize recognizes excellence in conducting and utilizing research. Phillips is being acknowledged for his pioneering approaches to program-relevant research, his dedication and commitment to the improvement of family planning and reproductive health programs, his support for building the capacity of researchers and institutions in developing countries, and his perseverance in working to ensure the broad application of research results. As an advisor to the Ghana Health Service, Phillips led the way in bridging the gap between research results and program implementation. These efforts included the development of a methodology in which studies were used to build consensus for health service reforms at the national, regional, and community levels. In 2000 Phillips and his colleagues used this methodology to launch the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative, which mobilizes volunteers, resources, and cultural institutions to support community-based primary health care throughout Ghana. During his 35-year career, Phillips has focused on measuring the demographic role of family planning programs and conducting field experiments in reproductive change. He directed the Matlab Community Health and Family Planning Project in Bangladesh, which demonstrated the role of family planning services in reducing fertility in that country. Phillips has worked for the Population Council in Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, and the United States. He holds a Master of Science degree in population studies from the University of Hawaii and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Michigan.
Phillips recently assisted colleagues develop a successful proposal for a five-year USAID grant. The grant will help the Ghana Health Service develop program implementation and management skills in 28 impoverished districts. The Marjorie Horn Operations Research Award is named for USAID’s former Deputy Chief of the Research, Technology, and Utilization Division, who held the post prior to her untimely death in September 2002. Her commitment to the conduct and utilization of program research for the betterment of the lives of women and men around the world was inspirational to those who worked with her.
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