Suzanne Petroni

Senior Director, Gender, Population and Development
Bio: 

Dr. Suzanne Petroni is senior director of gender, population and development at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), where she leads the organization’s research and programs on reproductive health and rights, as well as gender and population dynamics, such as fertility rates, marriage patterns and urbanization.

Prior to joining ICRW, Petroni was the Vice President of Global Health at the Public Health Institute. There, she expanded the organization’s global health engagement through research, program and policy work. She also acted as the organization’s spokesperson and liaison on global health issues with governments, the media, federal agencies, private foundations, non-profit organizations, universities and other outlets.

Prior to that, Petroni was Senior Program Officer at the Summit Foundation, leading the foundation’s Global Population and Youth Leadership Program by designing and implementing grant-making strategies to mobilize support for sexual and reproductive health in the developing world. While at Summit, Petroni also served as Chair of the Funders Network on Population, Reproductive Health & Rights, and as chair of an international donor group on adolescent reproductive health and development. At the U.S. State Department from 1997-2001, Petroni worked in the offices of the Under Secretary for Global Affairs and Population, Refugees and Migration

Expertise: 

Reproductive Health and Rights, Adolescents, Gender and Population

Languages Spoken: 

English (native), Spanish

Education: 

Petroni received her PhD in gender and social policy from The George Washington University and her master of science in foreign service from Georgetown University. She has published and spoken widely on a range of issues related to population and reproductive health and rights.

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