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MEDIA CENTER Population Council Names Health Systems Researcher NEW YORK, NY (28 August 2006) — The Population Council announced today that John W. Townsend, Ph.D. (bio) will head the organization’s new Reproductive Health program. Townsend, who has worked for the Population Council for 22 years, has been directing the organization’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health program since 1998. He began his career with the Population Council in 1984 as its country director for Colombia and moved to Mexico the following year to direct the Council’s reproductive health operations research program in Latin America and the Caribbean. From 1990 to 1993 he was the Council's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, and from 1993 to 1998 he directed its reproductive health operations research program in Asia and the Near East, based in New Delhi. He holds a doctorate from the University of Minnesota in social psychology, with supporting studies in public affairs and educational psychology. "John is a first-rate leader who is strongly committed to the Council and our mission,” said Population Council president Peter Donaldson. “He enjoys excellent relationships with staff, donors, and collaborators around the world. Over the years, I have been impressed by John’s thoughtful approach to both programmatic and administrative issues. His experience, ability, and enthusiasm for the various dimensions of the program director’s job make him an ideal person to lead this important program.” In his new role, Townsend will determine the Reproductive Health program’s overall strategy and priorities. The program aims to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes, especially for disadvantaged populations in developing countries, through the development and introduction of appropriate technologies, the formulation of evidence-based policies, and innovations in service delivery. Activities include basic biomedical research; health care product research and development; social science and health-related research to identify the causes of poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes; contraceptive development, evaluation, and introduction; and research on the development, scale-up, financing, and sustainability of effective service-delivery models. He will represent the Population Council to governments, donor agencies, and professional organizations. Townsend has published extensively on the subjects of development, population, reproductive health, and women’s health. He serves on the World Health Organization's panel on social science and operations research, the Interagency Gender Working Group, the Population Council's Institutional Review Board, the Wellesley Women's Wellness Center, the International Medical Advisory Panel of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and the International Contraceptive Access Foundation. He has lived in Germany, India, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States and has worked and traveled extensively in more than 35 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Townsend’s appointment is the second program directorship resulting from the Population Council's recent substantive strategic planning initiative. In July the organization announced the appointment of Wendy Baldwin to lead the Poverty, Gender, and Youth program. The new organizational structure is designed to encourage innovation and cross-fertilization among the Council’s biomedical and social scientists. The search for the director of the HIV and AIDS program is in progress. About the Population Council ### Media contacts Population Council
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