Scott Radloff, Ph.D.

IMPACT: The Global Health Initiative (GHI) was introduced nearly two years ago and promised a renewed focus on women and girls. In what ways has GHI encouraged greater access to family planning services?

SCOTT RADLOFF: GHI includes family planning as one of its goal areas, so it elevates family planning in priority along with maternal and child health and so it’s gaining attention in USAID programming. In addition, GHI puts an emphasis on partnerships, so we’ve been able to enter into partnerships with multilateral and bilateral donors around the world and to work in concert to improve access to family planning services. For example, we’ve been engaged in partnerships with various donors including the Alliance for Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health, which is an alliance that brings together the resources of several donors including the U.K. Department for International Development, Australian Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Through that alliance, we’ll be able to generate additional resources for family planning and maternal and newborn health, and to better coordinate those resources.

IMPACT: USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah has stressed the important role that innovation should play in helping to achieve America’s global development objectives. What are some of the promising innovations in reproductive health and family planning?

SR: We have supported for over ten years the development of a new contraceptive device called ‘Depo in Uniject’. It takes the injectable contraceptive and places it in a single device attached to a needle that can be given subcutaneously. That will enable the injectable contraceptive to be administered by community health workers at the community level. We’ve also invested in a product that is a one-year hormonal ring. It’s similar to the ‘NuvaRing’ that’s available in the U.S., but it’s a one-year ring that would be the first method that would be woman-controlled and would provide effective protection for one year. It can be delivered to a woman in her community, and she will be able to stop using it whenever she wants to become pregnant.

IMPACT: What role can the private sector play in providing reproductive health services and products in developing countries?

SR: Well, when we talk about strengthening health systems in developing countries, we talk about the whole system. It’s the government systems and it’s the private and nongovernmental organization (NGO) providers of services, so a vibrant and effective health system is one where all of those actors are playing a role. And we know that as countries advance, the role of the private sector expands as people are better able to afford services. Roles change, and we see a very important role for NGO and private sector involvement, increasingly so over time.

IMPACT: In recent years, many in the development community have seized upon the “Girl Effect” – the idea that investing in girls and adolescent women will have a compounding effect on other development goals. Are there specific programs that USAID supports to help attain the “Girl Effect”?

SR: We know that girls have a high unmet need for family planning or high risk for unintended pregnancy, so we need to find creative ways of reaching them with information and services, and by doing so, we can help them stay in school and pursue careers. Traditionally, we’ve been supporting programs that provide information and education to girls and adolescents – family-life education programs in schools is one example; educating counselors who can talk to their peers about family planning, HIV and other reproductive health issues is another. I think as we go forward, we’re going to see more use of communication tools like cell phones and look at new technologies for better reaching youth with information about family planning and protection from sexually transmitted diseases.

IMPACT: The world population will reach 7 billion in 2011, a milestone that will significantly impact our climate and the sustainability of our planet. How might family planning and reproductive health play into that issue?

SR: Well, the fact that we’ve reached 7 billion in a little over 12 years, I believe, shows you that we have an increase in population that needs family planning services. So just to maintain current levels of contraceptive use, you have to increase access by 3 percent a year. To make progress, we have to do better than that in the fast-growing developing world.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Watch the full interview between Scott Radloff and Marshall Stowell below or directly on YouTube.