Population Council Research that makes a difference

Ruth B. Merkatz, Ph.D.

Director, Clinical Development

Ruth B. Merkatz, director of clinical development for the Population Council's Reproductive Health program, oversees clinical development of the Council's contraceptive vaginal ring (CVR), which has included completion of a Phase 3 clinical trial. The trial tested the efficacy and safety of the ring and was conducted at 27 centers throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Australia. Merkatz is also overseeing the preparation of an NDA to be submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this product and has responsibility for the conduct of several other contraceptive trials in various phases of development. 

Merkatz joined the Council following eight years at Pfizer Inc, where she was the director and team leader of Women's Health. Prior to that, she worked at the FDA in Washington, DC, first as the special assistant to the commissioner on women's health issues, then as the first director of the Office of Women's Health. In the latter capacity she took the lead in requiring inclusion of women in clinical trials and analysis of data for sex/gender effects, and requiring that sponsors of contraceptive products indicate on their labels whether or not the product provides protection against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. She holds a B.S.N. from Cornell University, an M.S.N. from Case Western Reserve University, and a Ph.D. from Adelphi University. Merkatz has published numerous scientific papers and serves on the editorial advisory boards of Journal of Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine. She has received many awards for her work on women's health awareness, mammography services, AIDS drug development, and excellence in nursing. 

Merkatz holds an appointment as associate clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she has also served as co-chair of the hospital's bioethics committee. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and serves on several boards including the Westchester County Board of Health, the scientific advisory board of the International Partnership for Microbicides, and the ARCH Foundation.