Population Council Research that makes a difference

Tekle-Ab Mekbib

Associate

Tekle-Ab Mekbib is a program associate at the Population Council and is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mekbib was a medical advisor and consultant to the Population Council and contributed to the establishment of the Council’s office in Ethiopia. His area of specialization is obstetrics and gynecology, and he has worked as reproductive health national coordinator for the Ethiopia's Office of Population, seconded by UNFPA prior to joining the Council. Previously, he was head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Yekatit 12 Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mekbib currently is the principal investigator of a Population Council project entitled "Developmental Bible: Integrating HIV and Other RH Information in the Teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church." In addition, he is heading an operations research project, "Testing the Delivery of Misoprostol for Postpartum Hemorrhage Through a Community Initiative in Rural Ethiopia." This project intends to address one of the leading killers of mothers in rural areas of Ethiopia where there are no health facilities and trained personnel.   

Mekbib is active in the National Health Science and Technology Council of Ethiopia and the National Reproductive Health Task Force. He is the former president of the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ESOG) and was the principal investigator for the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO) Save the Mothers Project from 1998 to 2002. Mekbib frequently provides consultations to Ethiopia's Ministry of Health on reproductive health and safe motherhood issues and has served as guest lecturer at Addis Ababa and Jimma universities. He has authored over 25 journal articles and reports related to maternal and neonatal health, adolescent reproductive health, and safe motherhood. Since 2007, he has served as editor-in-chief of the Ethiopian Journal of Reproductive Health.

Mekbib holds an M.D. and a specialty certificate from Pavlov First Medical Institute in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and a Ph.D. in maternal and neonatal health from the Institute Otto, Academy of Medical Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia.