Chimaraoke Izugbara

Dr. Chimaraoke Izugbara (he/him) is the Director of the Global Health, Youth & Development portfolio, based out of the ICRW-Africa office, where he provides strategic direction, thought leadership, resource and talent management, technical oversight, and quality assurance within ICRW’s global research platform. With over 20 years of experience working within and with research and academic institutes, Dr. Izugbara has designed and directed research and programmatic activities on the health and rights of girls and young women in most parts of Africa and has served on numerous expert and advisory panels on issues related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender equality. Additionally, his research addresses issues related to SRH services such as abortion, men, sexuality, LGBT rights, and social development.

Prior to joining ICRW, Dr. Izugbara directed the Population Dynamics and Reproductive Health Program at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), after directing the institution’s Research Capacity Strengthening Division for nearly a decade. A professor-at-large at the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, Dr. Izugbara has taught in universities in West and East Africa, Europe, and the United States. Dr. Izugbara is a leading international scholar and researcher on gender, youth, sexuality, and maternal, sexual, and reproductive health, with over 120 published scholarly papers and books. He has a forthcoming book on Sex Work Third Sector Organizations co-authored with Susan Dewey and Isabel Crowhurst.

Dr. Izugbara is the recipient of the 2018 Reproductive Justice and Abortion Research Champion Award. In addition to his membership on numerous editorial boards, he also serves as a paper reviewer for over 40 international journals including the Lancet, Social Science and Medicine, Sexualities, Gender & Society, The Social Worker, and African Journal of Reproductive Health.