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Avishek Hazra

Avishek Hazra - 2019 Nominee
Position: Senior Program Officer
Organization: Population Council
Current Location: New Delhi, India
PhD from International Institute for Population Sciences
Additional Degrees and Certifications:
M.Phil in Population Studies, International Institute for Population Sciences
M.Sc in Statistics, The University of Burdwan
B.Sc. in Statistics, Haldia Govt. College, Vidyasagar University
Awards Received:
  • Award:
    WHO advisor
    Awarding Organization:
    World Health Organization
    Date Awarded:
    March 24, 2015
  • Award:
    Dr. C. Chandrasekaran Award as an honor of Young Demographer 2008
    Awarding Organization:
    Indian Association for the Study of Population (IASP)
    Date Awarded:
    October 19, 2008
  • Award:
    Government of India-NET Award
    Awarding Organization:
    Government of India
    Date Awarded:
    September 1, 2005
75 Public Votes Reached!
Avishek Hazra is a statistician-cum-demographer who is a well-published researcher. He has more than 50 publications to his credit; a recent paper published in Studies in Family Planning was among the top 10 downloaded articles in 2017! – Saumya RamaRao, Senior Associate at Population Council
Describe your contributions to and achievements in family planning.

Over the past 15 years, my research has been on documenting the FP needs and behaviors of Indian women and men, identifying challenges in the delivery of FP services and designing effective solutions. I have led data management and analyses of a contraceptive clinical trial that tested the safety and efficacy of a novel user-controlled vaginal contraceptive for lactating women. I have designed complex evaluations and led research that assessed the effect of integrating health interventions with women’s groups to improve MNCH and FP outcomes among marginalized populations of rural Uttar Pradesh. The learnings have helped scaleup of the interventions. I enjoy documenting and sharing the evidence with a variety of audiences. I have more than 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals and books

What sparked your passion for family planning?

In 2009, one of my first assignments at Population Council was to explore the reasons for non-use of contraception, spousal communication and couple dynamics in north India. My conversations with men, women, mothers-in-law and health workers made an impression upon me about the myriad barriers to FP use. As a young, urban, educated man, the reality of people’s reproductive lives was eye-opening.These conversations and my own lived experiences have greatly influenced me continue my research in FP

Give one or two examples of how you display leadership in your family planning work.:

My focus has been in translating the research evidence into simple and actionable program strategies. My formative research on identifying the ‘barriers’ in use of FP methods helped design a behavior change communication intervention to address the myths and misconception. I am privileged to be part of a novel contraceptive clinical trial with multinational stakeholders. I hope to contribute to the FP field by documenting the results of this trial. My research on contraception is widely accessed

If you are named a winner of 120 under 40, how will you use this new platform and the $1000 grant to advance your work? :

I would use the platform offered by this prestigious award to advocate for the expansion of contraceptive choices in India. The addition of a new user-controlled vaginal contraceptive will enhance choices for postpartum women. I will use this platform to be better connected with researchers, advocates, practitioners and other stakeholders globally. I wish to utilize the grant money to make a short documentary on women’s joy and satisfaction on obtaining a FP method that’s under their control.

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