Eric Ramirez-Ferrero, Technical Director, E2A

To provide overall technical guidance and oversight to E2A’s technical team of advisors, Eric leverages over 25 years of experience in senior technical and leadership positions in sexual and reproductive health and rights, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.

He began his international career as a University of Michigan Population Fellow, serving as a senior technical advisor for adolescent sexual and reproductive health and as project director for the Contraceptive Research and Technology Utilization project for FHI 360 in Tanzania. He then served as country representative for EngenderHealth in Tanzania and as chief of party for the CHAMPION Project ($25 million, 5 years), championing men’s and couples’ positive engagement in SRHR, including HIV (a project that won the international Avon Communications Award for promoting couple communication and preventing SGBV). Subsequently, Eric led Jhpiego’s Maternal and Child Survival Program in Mozambique ($60 million, 4 years) as the project’s chief of party. With specialties in reproductive health program design; family planning; adolescent reproductive and sexual health and rights; and gender-transformative programming, including male involvement and couple-focused interventions, Eric has consulted for the WHO, UNFPA, Promundo, CARE, Save the Children, Jhpiego, and EngenderHealth, and has conducted research that has resulted in technical tools, publications, and national strategies and guidelines.

Eric received his BA degree from Bennington College. His graduate training includes an MPH from Johns Hopkins University, an MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a PhD in medical anthropology and feminist theory from Stanford University. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese in addition to advanced level Italian and Norwegian and elementary French and Swahili.

When asked why he is passionate about expanding access to family planning and reproductive health, Eric says:

“I believe no policies or programs should be developed without involving the people they impact. That’s why we work with youth and for youth: To ensure that they have the resources to advocate with governments so health systems respond to their needs.”