Homecoming

Once a refugee who fled the Rwandan genocide for the relative safety of the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jean Christophe Rusatira, MD, MPH ’17, has lived experience of the gaps in public health in regions plagued by conflict and poverty. This reality—and inspiration from the resilience of Rwandan communities—helped shape his public health career.

After finishing medical school, Rusatira applied to the Bloomberg School and was offered a Sommer scholarship in 2015. In 2016, Rusatira was named one of the 120 Under 40—The New Generation of Family Planning Leaders for his work with family planning and youths in Rwanda. Today, he’s a program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health.

Last year, Rusatira was part of the team that helped organize the International Conference on Family Planning in Kigali, Rwanda in November, 2018—the largest scientific conference focusing on family planning and reproductive health.

Watch Chris’s story:

Related

Progress in Family Planning in Africa Accelerating—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health News Release 

The 2018 International Conference on Family Planning: Investing for a Lifetime of Returns

World Contraception Day: A Celebration of Family Planning at the Bloomberg School