Challenges and Opportunities for Sexual Reproductive Health Worker Training Programs in Developing Countries

James N. Kiarie is coordinator for the Human Reproduction Team, in the Department of
Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organization (WHO). In this role, he is involved
with setting international policies and facilitating sustainable programs to improve sexual and
reproductive health, particularly for women and adolescents. Prior to joining WHO, he was an
Associate Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta National
Hospital. He was Co-Principal Investigator on an R01 entitled, HIV and Pregnancy Intention
(NIH Award Number R01HD058363), a project focused on understanding the interplay of reproductive
health goals and risk of HIV infection, critical in settings where society places great value on having
children. Dr. Kiarie has been an advocate for reproductive health services throughout east Africa and
a leading champion of education, training, and mentoring the next generation of health professionals;
from 2008, he has led the University of Nairobi’s Capacity Building HIV Fellowship Program, as a
Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) site under the PEPFAR program. The MEPI program has
now evolved into the African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth), a new
interprofessional platform for east, southern, and west Africa.