Sarah Degnan Kambou is president of the
International Center for Research on Women
The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, with regional offices in New Delhi, India, Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala, Uganda. ICRW has project offices in Mumba ...
(ICRW), a global research institute that focuses on making women integral to alleviating poverty worldwide.
Biography
Kambou grew up in
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
and received her education at the
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...
and
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
. She cofounded and for eight years served as a director of the Center for International Health in the
Boston University School of Public Health
Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1976, the School offers master's- and doctoral-level programs in public health. It is located in the heart of Boston University's Me ...
. While there, Kambou directed intensive training programs for international health professionals, managed BU’s collaborative programs with
Tongji Medical University
Tongji Medical College (TJMC, ) is a medical school in Wuhan, China. Formerly Tongji Medical University (), it became part of the newly established Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Huazhong University of Science and Technology, ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
Tribhuvan University
Tribhuvan University (TU; ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest university in Nepal. In terms of enrollment, it is t ...
in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, and consulted widely across South and Southeast
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
.
Kambou later lived in
sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
for more than a decade, where she managed programs for
CARE (relief agency)
CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, formerly Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe) is a major international humanitarian agency delivering emergency relief and long-term international development projects. Founded i ...
. There, Degnan Kambou focused on addressing social and economic vulnerability of marginalized populations, strengthening civil society in post-conflict settings and participatory development of underserved urban and rural communities. She also established the CARE country office in
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
during the civil conflict and designed community-led reproductive health programs in post-conflict
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
,
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
and
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
.
Prior to being named president, Kambou served as ICRW’s chief operating officer, coordinating internal leadership and management functions, and leading the implementation of the organization’s restructuring and strategic review processes. Earlier, as ICRW’s vice president of health and development, she oversaw research in
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
and
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
, reproductive health and nutrition as well as in gender, violence and women’s rights.
In 2010, Kambou was appointed by United States Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
to represent ICRW on the U.S. National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
).
Kambou was honored in 2010 with the
Boston University School of Public Health
Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1976, the School offers master's- and doctoral-level programs in public health. It is located in the heart of Boston University's Me ...
's Distinguished Alumni Award for her contributions to the field of public health.
Education
Kambou holds a doctorate in international health policy and a master’s in public health from Boston University. She earned her bachelor's degree in French from the
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...
.
Expertise
Kambou is an expert in sexual and reproductive health, HIV and AIDS and adolescent programming.
She has worked in 26 countries and dedicated more than 25 years to addressing issues in the developing world.
Publications
"Exploring Dimensions of Masculinity and Violence""Walking the Talk: Inner Spaces, Outer Faces, A Gender and Sexuality Initiative""Gendered Empowerment and HIV Prevention: Policy and Programmatic Pathways to Success in the MENA Region"
Speeches and statements
G(irls)20 Summit in Toronto, June 16, 2010
"A Message From ICRW President Sarah Degnan Kambou"July 7, 2010
References
External links
International Center for Research on WomenICRW FacebookICRW Twitter Washington Post, Jun-28, 2010
*
ttp://www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/834896--toronto-hosts-g-irls-20-summit "Toronto Hosts 'Girls20' Summit" Inside Toronto, Jun-16, 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kambou, Sarah Degnan
Living people
Boston University School of Public Health faculty
Boston University School of Public Health alumni
University of Connecticut alumni
International Center for Research on Women
Year of birth missing (living people)