Rebecka Lundgren, MPH, PhD, is an applied anthropologist and Associate Professor of Medicine and Global Public Health. As Co-Director of the Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH), together with Katherine Hay, she provides strategic leadership to guide the center’s growth and mentors the next generation of researchers and in-country partners in implementation research for social change. With over 35 years of experience, Rebecka’s work focuses on improving family planning, preventing gender-based violence, and promoting gender equity across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Her research has often centered on social norms, adolescence and male engagement, and she has led efforts to scale up sexual and reproductive health programs in 18 countries, including 12 years managing reproductive health research in Latin America.

Throughout her career, Rebecka has led five-year, global, multi-partner implementation research initiatives—including Agency for All, Passages, Growing Up GREAT, REAL Fathers, Tekonon JIkuagou, and Fertility Awareness for Community Transformation—to bridge the gap between science and effective policy and practice. These efforts combined research, technical assistance, and capacity bridging for family planning and social and behavior change programs. As a member of the ExpandNet Secretariat and the Community for Understanding Scale-Up (CUSP), she contributes to the science of scale-up science with a focus on reducing gender inequities in health. Rebecka is known for pioneering child-centered evaluation of gender-transformative programs, especially for early adolescents. She has published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.

A native of San Diego, Rebecka returned home in 2019 after serving as Deputy Director of Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health. She holds a PhD from the University of Maryland, an MPH from UCLA, and a BA from Pitzer College. She began her career as a USAID Population Fellow in Mexico, followed by her role as Country Director for the Population Council in Honduras. Outside of work, she enjoys sailing, new adventures, and staying connected with colleagues and friends around the world.