Kelly Blanchard, MS, will present, "Over-the-counter birth control in the U.S. and self-managed abortion around the world: Research to advance sexual and reproductive health autonomy, choices and health worldwide."

Kelly is the President of Ibis Reproductive Health, a global research organization working with partners around the world to design and conduct rigorous research to advance policy and service-delivery solutions that transform people’s reproductive lives. Kelly provides overall strategic leadership for Ibis and heads the Senior Management Team. Kelly’s research has included clinical and social science studies on improving contraception and abortion technologies; expanding access to and quality of reproductive health services; and documenting the impact of policies on women’s health around the world. Kelly also has had a range of leadership roles in key HIV prevention clinical trials evaluating safety and effectiveness of microbicides and the diaphragm in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

Kelly has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals like The Lancet, the American Journal of Public Health, AIDS, and Obstetrics and Gynecology and has also published op-eds, letters, and blogs in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and RH Reality Check. Prior to joining Ibis, Kelly was a program associate with the Population Council in South Africa, and also received a Fulbright Scholarship and lived in Ghana. In 2006 Kelly received the Outstanding Young Professional Award from the Population, Family Planning and Reproductive Health Section of the American Public Health Association. She also received the Darroch Award recognizing excellence in research to advance sexual and reproductive health from the Guttmacher Institute in 2009. Kelly holds a Master of Science in Population and International Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies from Harvard University.