BALTIMORE, February 19, 2024 – Dr. Eva Lathrop, a reproductive health expert with more than two decades of experience as an obstetrician-gynecologist, educator and researcher, is the new Senior Director for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Jhpiego announced today.
Dr. Lathrop will lead Jhpiego’s broad portfolio of work in reproductive health; family planning; maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health; and safe surgery around the world. She has deep experience across a diverse portfolio of services, contexts and approaches in implementing lifesaving interventions in health care delivery. This includes supporting a safe cesarean section program for women in Afghanistan, designing a person-centered approach to integrated maternal health and family planning across Francophone West Africa and testing the impact of HPV DNA self-sampling as a cervical cancer prevention strategy in Mozambique.
“As a leading organization in maternal and child health, we are thrilled Dr. Lathrop is joining our team,” says Dr. Leslie Mancuso, Jhpiego’s President and CEO. “She has not only supported a service portfolio that spanned over 30 countries but she also has rich experience in teaching, clinical care and research. I know these skills combined will help Jhpiego advance excellence in and access to high-quality maternal health care for the communities and institutions Jhpiego partners with.”
Dr. Lathrop joins Jhpiego from PSI, where she served as the Global Medical Director, and the Emory University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, where she partnered with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support several initiatives, including rebuilding maternal health care in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and supporting the 2016 Zika virus outbreak response.
“I’ve always felt that Jhpiego would be a great fit for me,” says Dr. Lathrop. “It is a creative, innovative organization with a commitment to using rigorous science and evidence to solve complex public health problems and improve the lives of women, children and families across the globe. Jhpiego fosters a culture of excellence and is an organization I am proud to be part of.”
In her previous job, she led PSI’s approach to quality of care across integrated health areas and was responsible for the organization’s COVID-19 response and preparedness for emerging global health threats. She credits her years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi as her inspiration for pursuing a career in medicine and public health and has worked with several nonprofits and United Nations partners as a consultant and technical advisor for reproductive health programs.
Dr. Lathrop’s experience in sexual and reproductive health, maternal and newborn health, cervical cancer prevention and health systems strengthening initiatives will help Jhpiego build on its five decades of experience saving lives around the world.
For additional information, contact Jhpiego’s Senior Director of Communications, Ann.LoLordo@jhpiego.org.