Contraceptive and Reproductive Health Technologies and Research Utilization Program

Research for impact

FHI's work affects public health on a local, regional, and global level. In collaboration with our partners, we focus on high priority research and programs and strive to improve reproductive health policy and practice by generating evidence that affects international standards and host country norms and guidelines for the provision of services.

Under the CRTU, Family Health International focuses on the following activities:

• Ensuring that new and improved contraceptive and reproductive health technologies are developed, evaluated, and approved--FHI is a recognized leader in the design, implementation, and analysis of research on contraceptive safety, efficacy, and acceptability. Under the CRTU, we are conducting clinical trials on new contraceptive methods and evaluating improvements in methods that are already available. Areas of focus include increasing long-term and permanent contraceptive options for women and men, evaluating improvements in hormonal method use, and addressing issues related to contraception and HIV.

• Ensuring development, evaluation, and regulatory approval for microbicides and microbicidal spermicides--FHI is working to complete ongoing microbicide studies, identify and train staff at new study sites, evaluate innovative microbicide delivery systems, conduct contraceptive efficacy trials of candidate microbicides, and ensure the quality of new microbicides and production facilities.

• Promoting use of contraceptives, microbicides, and other reproductive health technologies in the developing world--Under the CRTU, FHI is conducting behavioral and health services research and related research utilization activities that advance evidence-based services in targeted countries. We are examining factors that reduce access to services and designing interventions to increase the provision of family planning (including integration of contraception into HIV programs), reduce barriers to service provision, and identify effective strategies to increase the quality of information and counseling available to clients.

Focus countries

Under the CRTU, FHI is concentrating its efforts in a few targeted countries in order to achieve the greatest impact with available resources.  FHI and its partners have a strong presence in the focus countries.  As a result, we enjoy good working relationships with local stakeholders and policy-makers, who inform our research and work with us to ensure that emerging results are put into practice.  Our presence in these countries also helps us integrate results into service programs and more widely apply key results through partners' service delivery networks.

Our partners