Ms Marleen Temmerman
Professor Emeritus

Marleen Temmerman is a well-recognized global leader in women, child & adolescent health. She brings academic, technical, political, governance, management and leadership skills to the table as well as diplomacy, advocacy, fundraising, training and clinical expertise. She has a strong track record of working with governments, multilateral organisations, academia, professional bodies, development agencies, private sector, consultancy agencies, civil society, non-governmental and faith based organisations, in a global and changing world.
Currently, she is Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aga Khan University Hospital and Director of the Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University East Africa (Nairobi, Kenya). Prior she was the Director of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR) at the World Health Organization (Geneva, Switzerland). RHR is the main instrument within the United Nations for research in Women's health, bringing together policy-makers and programmers, scientists, health care providers, consumers and civil society, advocates and women's groups, to identify and address priorities for research and action to improve women's health from a rights- based perspective.
She is a full Professor OB/GYN at the Ghent University in Belgium, currently with leave of absence. As an obstetrician she supervised over 18,000 births in many parts of the world, during her over 30 years of clinical work. Her interest is women’s health and rights. She is the Founding Director of the International Centre of Reproductive Health (ICRH) at Ghent University with sister research organizations in Kenya and Mozambique, and a large global collaborative academic network of 27 Universities globally.
She has a strong academic and scientific background with over 500 publications and books in the area of women’s health, with a Hirsch index of 75. She has supervised many PhD students in Europe, Africa, Latin-America and China and received several awards and honours for her research and advocacy work. Concurrent Professor Fudan University, Honorary appointments: University of the Western Cape, South-Africa, Free University Brussels, Belgium; National Institute Family Planning Research, China.
In 2007, Dr Temmerman was elected as a Senator in the Belgian Parliament where she was member of the Commission on Social Affairs, and Chair of the Commission on Foreign Affairs. In that capacity, she was member of the European Parliamentary Forum and Chair of the HIV/AIDS Advisory Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
She served as a member of the iERG (independent expert review group), installed by UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, to raise the accountability in the 'Every Woman, Every Child' platform to accelerate MDG 4 and 5. She is one of the penholders of the UN Global Strategy for Women's, Children and Adolescents' Health 2016-2030, launched by the UNSG and partners in September 2015, transitioning from the MDGs to the SDGs. She is also a member of the Guttmacher-Lancet Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the post-2015 world.
She is a member of the advisory group of the African First Ladies on Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancer, chaired by HE the First Lady of Kenya in 2015, and a member of the Maisha Maarifa HIV/SRH Research Hub of the Kenyan National AIDS Control Council (NACC) to enhance access to HIV/SRH research and information to stakeholders and decision makers at all levels including the Counties, and a Member of the Kenya National Domestication of the Global AA-HA! Guidance Committee (Adolescent Health) .
She is the AKU lead of several women and child health programmes in East-Africa such as the Canadian funded AQCESS (Access to Quality Care through Extending and Strengthening Health Systems) and IMPACT programmes, the PRECISE research platform (UK-MRC) and several smaller research and capacity building programmes. She is also chairing the regional AKDN maternal-child committee investing in streamlining MCH protocols and developing tools for the AKU and AKHS hospitals across the globe. She is currently managing a research portfolio of about 6 M USD within the CoEWCH.
Current important affiliations/memberships include: Guttmacher-Lancet Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the post-2015 world; Lancet Standing Commission on Adolescent Health, Scientific Advisory Committee of the EDCTP (European and Developing Countries Trial Partnership), as well as professional bodies, Senior Fellow in the Institute for Global Health Diplomacy in Geneva. UNESCO Chair on Youth Leadership in Science, Health, Gender and Education at the Aga Khan University.
Publicaties van Marleen
2023 Clinical risk factors of adverse outcomes among women with COVID-19 in the pregnancy and postpartum period : a sequential, prospective meta-analysisER Smith, E Oakley, GW Grandner, G Rukundo, F Farooq, K Ferguson, S Baumann, KM Adams Waldorf, Y Afshar, M Ahlberg, H Ahmadzia, V Akelo, G Aldrovandi, E Bevilacqua, N Bracero, JS Brandt, N Broutet, J Carrillo, J Conry, E Cosmi, F Crispi, F Crovetto, M Del Mar Gil, C Delgado-López, H Divakar, AJ Driscoll, G Favre, I Fernandez Buhigas, V Flaherman, C Gale, CL Godwin, S Gottlieb, E Gratacós, S He, O Hernandez, S Jones, S Joshi, E Kalafat, S Khagayi, M Knight, KL Kotloff, A Lanzone, V Laurita Longo, K Le Doare, C Lees, E Litman, EM Lokken, SA Madhi, LA Magee, RJ Martinez-Portilla, TD Metz, ES Miller, D Money, S Moungmaithong, E Mullins, JB Nachega, MC Nunes, D Onyango, A Panchaud, LC Poon, D Raiten, L Regan, D Sahota, A Sakowicz, J Sanin-Blair, O Stephansson, Marleen Temmerman, A Thorson, SS Thwin, BA Tippett Barr, JE Tolosa, N Tug, M Valencia-Prado, S Visentin, Peter von Dadelszen, C Whitehead, M Wood, H Yang, R Zavala, JM Tielsch
2022 Assessment of the lifetime prevalence and incidence of induced abortion and correlates among female sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya : a secondary cohort analysisAnne Marieke Simmelink, Caroline M Gichuki, Frances H Ampt, Griffins Manguro, Megan S C Lim, Paul Agius, Margaret Hellard, Walter Jaoko, Mark A Stoové, Kelly L'Engle, Marleen Temmerman, Peter Gichangi, Stanley Lüchters
2022 Increased condom use among key populations using oral PrEP in Kenya : results from large scale programmatic surveillanceGriffins Manguro, Abednego M. Musau, Daniel K. Were, Soud Tengah, Brian Wakhutu, Jason Reed, Marya Plotkin, Stanley Lüchters, Peter Gichangi, Marleen Temmerman
2022 Busting contraception myths and misconceptions among youth in Kwale County, Kenya : results of a digital health randomised control trialPeter Gichangi, Lianne Gonsalves, Jefferson Mwaisaka, Mary Thiongo, Ndema Habib, Michael Waithaka, Tigest Tamrat, Alfred Agwanda, Hellen Sidha, Marleen Temmerman, Lale Say
2022 Differences in HIV, STI and other risk factors among younger and older male sex workers who have sex with men in Nairobi, KenyaNicholas Muraguri, Jerry Okoth Okal, Marleen Temmerman, Dunstan Mukoko, Helgar K. Musyoki, Peter Gichangi
2022 Missed opportunities for family planning counselling among postpartum women in eleven counties in KenyaMary N. Thiongo, Peter Gichangi, Michael Waithaka, Amy Tsui, Linnea A. Zimmerman, Scott Radloff, Marleen Temmerman, Saifuddin Ahmed
2022 Are Kenyans likely to use COVID-19 self-testing kits? Results from a cross-sectional surveyGriffins Manguro, Sonjelle Shilton, Sharon Omenda, Patrica Owira, Deepshikha Batheja, Abhik Banerji, Sophie Vusha Chabeda, Marleen Temmerman, Walter Jako, Joseph Ndungu, Stanley Lüchters, Elena Ivanova Reipold, Guillermo Z. Martínez-Pérez
2022 Pentavalent vaccination in Kenya : coverage and geographical accessibility to health facilities using data from a community demographic and health surveillance system in Kilifi CountyMorris Ogero, James Orwa, Rachael Odhiambo, Felix Agoi, Adelaide Lusambili, Jerim Obure, Marleen Temmerman, Stanley Lüchters, Anthony Ngugi
2022 A critical review of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights in KenyaGriffins Manguro, Marleen Temmerman
2022 A multinational Delphi consensus to end the COVID-19 public health threatJV Lazarus, D Romero, CJ Kopka, SA Karim, LJ Abu-Raddad, G Almeida, R Baptista-Leite, JA Barocas, ML Barreto, Y Bar-Yam, Q Bassat, C Batista, M Bazilian, ST Chiou, C Del Rio, GJ Dore, GF Gao, LO Gostin, M Hellard, JL Jimenez, G Kang, N Lee, M Matičič, M McKee, S Nsanzimana, M Oliu-Barton, B Pradelski, O Pyzik, K Rabin, S Raina, SF Rashid, M Rathe, R Saenz, S Singh, M Trock-Hempler, S Villapol, P Yap, A Binagwaho, A Kamarulzaman, A El-Mohandes, Panel COVID-19 Consensus Statement, Marleen Temmerman
2022 A retrospective review of genital fistula occurrence in nine African countriesCarrie Ngongo, Thomas J. I. P. Raassen, Marietta Mahendeka, Ladeisha Lombard, Jos van Roosmalen, Marleen Temmerman
2022 Acceptability and feasibility of a low-cost device for gestational age assessment in a low-resource setting : qualitative studyA Koech, PM Musitia, GM Mwashigadi, MW Kinshella, M Vidler, Marleen Temmerman, R Craik, Peter von Dadelszen, JA Noble, AT Papageorghiou, Network PRECISE
2022 Are sexual and reproductive health and rights taught in medical school? Results from a global surveyM Endler, T Al-Haidari, C Benedetto, S Chowdhury, J Christilaw, F El Kak, D Galimberti, M Gutierrez, S Ibrahim, S Kumari, C McNicholas, DM Flores, J Muganda, A Ramirez-Negrin, H Senanayake, R Sohail, Marleen Temmerman, K Gemzell Danielsson
2022 Cervical cancer programme, Kenya, 2011-2020 : lessons to guide elimination as a public health problemV Mwenda, W Mburu, JP Bor, M Nyangasi, Marc Arbyn, Steven Weyers, Philippe Tummers, Marleen Temmerman
2022 Exploring the impact of health worker strikes on maternal and child health in a Kenyan countyAbdu Mohiddin, Eva Langat, James Orwa, Violet Naanyu, Marleen Temmerman
2022 Factors associated with use of long-acting reversible and permanent contraceptives among married women in rural Kenya : a community-based cross-sectional study in Kisii and Kilifi countiesJames Orwa, Samwel Maina Gatimu, Anthony Ngugi, Alfred Agwanda, Marleen Temmerman
2022 Germs, guns, and fear in disaster response : a rapid qualitative assessment to understand fear-based responses in the population at large : lessons from Sierra Leone 2014-2015Cora Nally, Patrick Van de Voorde, Marleen Temmerman, Mary Adam
2022 Health systems analysis and evaluation of the barriers to availability, utilisation and readiness of sexual and reproductive health services in COVID-19-affected areas : a WHO mixed-methods study protocolS Kouanda, E Nahyuha Chomi, C Kim, S Jen, L Bahamondes, JG Cecatti, P Lumbiganon, M Emefa, V Brizuela, H Kuganantham, AH Seuc, M Ali, Team WHO HRP Social Science Research, Marleen Temmerman
2022 New global WHO postnatal guidance is welcome but misses the long-term perspectiveDebra Bick, Uma Ram, Ponnusamy Saravanan, Marleen Temmerman
2022 Obstetric risk in pregnancy interacts with hair cortisone levels to reduce gestational lengthJoseph Musana, Craig R. Cohen, Miriam Kuppermann, Roy Gerona, Anthony Wanyoro, David Aguilar, Nicole Santos, Marleen Temmerman, Sandra J. Weiss