Chief Operating Officer Sarah Degnan Kambou

Sarah Kambou, Ph.D. is chief operating officer at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). An internationally renowned gender expert, Kambou focuses on issues concerning health and development, and specializes in gender, sexuality and HIV/AIDS.

As chief operating officer, Kambou works closely with ICRW President Geeta Rao Gupta to coordinate internal leadership and management functions, and implement the organization’s strategic plan. Prior to her appointment as chief operating officer, Kambou was vice president of ICRW’s health and development group, which conducted programmatic research on HIV, AIDS and development; reproductive health and nutrition; and gender, violence and rights. 

Kambou is a member of United Nations Development Programme’s gender equity committee to advance women’s empowerment through the U.N. Millennium Development Goals. She recently coauthored research publications on gender-based violence among youth in the Balkans and coauthored an article published in Global Public Health on gender, sexuality, and HIV and AIDS.

Before joining ICRW, Kambou spent 10 years with CARE where she managed programs throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Kambou also worked for eight years as a director of international health in the School of Public Health at Boston University. While at Boston University, Kambou was responsible for strategic planning, research and training, and worked extensively in South and Southeast Asia

Kambou received her Ph.D. in international health policy and her MPH in health services delivery from Boston University.