J. Joseph Speidel, MD, MPH

Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Director for Communication, Development and External Relations, Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health

Email: speidelj@obgyn.ucsf.edu

Biosketch:

J. Joseph Speidel, MD, MPH, joined UCSF’s Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health as a professor in 2003.  Dr. Speidel is a cum laude graduate of Harvard College in chemistry and physics and a graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health.  Between 1995 and 2003, he directed the population grants program at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation—a program that in 2002 provided $35 million for more than 200 active grants for population training, services, research, and advocacy.  Between 1983 and 1995, Dr. Speidel served as vice president and president of Population Action International.  Previously, Dr. Speidel served as chief of the Research Division and acting director of the Office of Population at the U.S. Agency for International Development, where he directed USAID's $125 million annual program of population and family planning assistance.  He is a recipient of the Arthur S. Flemming Award for outstanding young men in government, the Carl S. Schulz Award of the American Public Health Association for significant contributions to international population work and the Family Planning Visionary Award of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association.  Dr. Speidel recently served on the board of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, and as founding co-chair and member of the board of the Funders Network on Population, Reproductive Health & Rights.  He currently serves on the board of directors of, Ipas, the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, and the Pacific Institute for Women’s Health. He is the author of more that 95 articles and chapters and editor or author of 12 books and monographs on issues relating to family planning, contraception, and population.

Areas of Interest:

• Family planning
• Contraception
• Adolescent reproductive health
• Population
• Communications and Advocacy

Ongoing Research Projects:

Currently he serves or recently served as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on six projects: (1) publicizing the success of California’s family planning and reproductive health program for low income residents (Family PACT), (2) developing materials to provide accurate information about emergency contraception, (3) studying population policy as it relates to population-environment relationships, (4) assessing sources and need for funds for international population and reproductive health activities, (5) providing technical assistance and training to improve reproductive health in Haiti, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Kenya, and (6) promoting use of long acting reversible contraception (LARC) in the U.S. through research and training.


Publications on PubMed


Updated January 2009