UNCG MPH Graduate working for International Reproductive Rights

Posted on November 18, 2015

Alumna Elizabeth Guthrie works for international reproductive rights through her position as Policy Adviser at Ipas, a global nongovernmental organization dedicated to ending preventable deaths and disabilities from unsafe abortion with offices in 15 countries worldwide.

Guthrie has worked at Ipas since the summer of 2014 and is now responsible for providing strategic input, technical assistance and support to policy priority countries in West Africa. As Policy Advisor, Guthrie’s responsibilities include documenting Ipas’s advocacy successes as well as exploring and consolidating evidence for new approaches and areas of interest. Additionally, Guthrie will be supporting Sierra Leon’s and Nigeria’s policy work as well as deepening organizational relationships with the United Nations and international human rights monitoring bodies.

Guthrie recently returned from a trip to Nairobi, Kenya and Lusaka, Zambia. In Nairobi, she attended a workshop on accountability mechanisms in reproductive health particularly focused on the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review process. She also participated in a week-long policy advisor training in Zambia. In addition to her recent travel, Guthrie writes for her unit and is working on strengthening her unit’s impact evaluation process.

Guthrie greatly credits success to her time spent in UNCG’s Masters of Public Health program.  When asked what impact the MPH program had in her life she told us the following:

I have my dream job as a direct result of my decision to go back to school for an MPH. Specifically, the internship component of UNCG’s MPH program led me to the position I have now. My internship experience opened up doors by giving me valuable skills and connections. Additionally, I find myself using knowledge and skills I learned in coursework or during the course of my assistantships in my daily professional work.

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