International Youth Day celebrates the power of young people to drive change. At the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health (WHGI), we invest in young people through various programs, including through support for early-career researchers who are generating new evidence, challenging assumptions, and developing solutions to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) around the world.
By Natalie Apcar
Through the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) 2025 Early Career Researcher Award, 80 emerging researchers from 45 different countries received financial support to attend the conference, present their work, and sharpen their research skills by connecting with seasoned practitioners. Their research spans topics ranging from self-care and menstrual health to disability inclusion, gender norms, and community-based approaches to improving health outcomes—demonstrating both the breadth of today's SRHR challenges and the innovation needed to address them.
For many recipients, the award represented far more than an opportunity to present research. It became a launching point for new collaborations, research ideas, and career opportunities.
ICFP: A Global Stage for the Next Generation of Researchers
Presenting research at an international conference can shape the trajectory of an early-career scientist. For many awardees, ICFP 2025 in Bogotá, Colombia, was their first opportunity to share their work with a global audience of researchers, policymakers, donors, and implementers.
Although the research topics varied, the awardees described remarkably similar experiences: presenting their work to an international audience strengthened their science, expanded their thinking, and connected them with collaborators working toward shared goals.
ICFP transformed my research from a local conversation into one that contributes to global discussions on sexual and reproductive health. It reminded me that rigorous evidence has the power to influence policy, inspire collaboration, and improve lives."
Extending Youth Engagement to Research Practice
Meaningful youth engagement has become a hallmark of effective SRHR programs. Across the field, young people are increasingly recognized not simply as beneficiaries of programs, but as partners in designing solutions that better reflect their experiences and priorities.
The same principle applies to research. As shared by Rocio Belén Ulloa, awardee from Argentina: "The experience reaffirmed my belief that research has the greatest impact when it is in dialogue with communities and contributes to improving the lives of adolescents and young people."
ICFP Early Career Researcher Award recognizes that the next generation of researchers brings fresh perspectives, innovative approaches, and lived experience that strengthen the evidence informing SRHR policies and programs. By investing in emerging scientists, the award helps ensure that the future of SRHR research is shaped by those who will continue advancing the field for decades to come.
For Samson Odukogbe of Nigeria, whose research explored community-based delivery of self-injectable contraception, presenting at ICFP reinforced the importance of connecting implementation research with policy and practice.
ICFP 2025 was more than a conference; it was a catalyst for my growth as an implementation researcher and communications specialist. It transformed local implementation evidence into global conversations and reaffirmed my commitment to generating evidence that influences policy and improves the health and lives of women, adolescents, young people, and communities.
Samson's experience reflects a broader pattern among this year's awardees. Since presenting in Bogotá, researchers have launched new studies on adolescent learning and menstrual health in India, strengthened community-led SRHR programming in Tanzania, and advanced longitudinal research on contraceptive behaviors across multiple countries.
As Tanzanian researcher Aluwa Mkilindi observed, investing in young researchers is ultimately about more than advancing individual careers—it's about ensuring that the people closest to communities help shape the evidence that guides future programs and policies.
ICFP 2025 reminded me that when communities lead and young people are empowered through creativity, research becomes a catalyst for lasting social change.
Building Careers That Strengthen the Field
For many recipients, the benefits of participating in ICFP extended well beyond the conference itself.
Awardees described new international collaborations, invitations to present and publish their research, mentorship opportunities, and growing confidence as researchers. Several have already presented at additional scientific conferences, published new research, or launched new partnerships inspired by conversations that began in Bogotá.
For awardee Varsha Sivaram from India, the conference became an unexpected turning point. After arriving in Bogotá during an especially uncertain period in her career, conversations at ICFP ultimately led to the position she holds today, supporting multi-country research on contraceptive decision-making and behavior change. Her experience highlights how attending a scientific conference is more than just a one-off professional and travel opportunity. Connections made can bolster early careers. And investing in early-career researchers can strengthen not only individual careers, but the global SRHR research community itself.
In Nigeria, Samson Odukogbe has presented his implementation research at multiple international conferences, completed advanced scientific writing and mentoring training through WHGI and the WHO, and even brought evidence on family planning to national radio audiences. Ankita Gupta from India has launched new projects inspired by her ICFP research and is leading a year-long study of 3,000 adolescents to better understand how young people learn about SRHR. Together, these stories show how investing in early-career researchers continues to strengthen youth participation in scientific study.
Investing in the Future of SRHR Research
The future of sexual and reproductive health depends on a strong pipeline of researchers who are equipped to ask new questions, generate rigorous evidence, and translate that evidence into policies and programs that improve lives.
The ICFP Early Career Researcher Award is one investment in that future. By providing emerging researchers with opportunities to share their work, build global networks, and learn from leaders across the field, the program helps accelerate careers while strengthening the evidence base that advances sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide.
This International Youth Day, we celebrate these researchers not only for what they have already accomplished, but for the discoveries, innovations, and leadership they will continue to bring to the global SRHR community.
We would like to thank the following ICFP 2025 Early Career Researcher awardees who contributed to this blog post. Click on their research titles below to explore the abstracts from the ICFP 2025 Interactive Library.
- Scaling Self-Care: Community-Based Delivery of DMPA-SC Self-Injection in Nigeria: Samson Odukogbe, Nigeria
- Co-construyendo accesibilidad con juventudes: aprendizajes desde la perspectiva de discapacidad para la promoción de los derechos sexuales y reproductivos (Co-creating accessibility with youth: Lessons from a disability perspective for advancing sexual and reproductive rights): Rocio Belén Ulloa, Argentina
- Beyond Desire: Navigating the Complexities of Aphrodisiac Use Among Undergraduates in Two Nigerian Universities: Adekunle Ajibewa, Nigeria
- Amplifying SRHR Through Arts: A Community-Based Model for Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Tanzania: Aluwa Mkilindi, Tanzania
- Effective Family Planning and Menstrual Health Education: Intersectional Understanding of MHHM in SRH: Ankita Gupta, India
- The Role of Self-Perceived and Collective Gender Norms in Shaping Contraceptive Behaviors: Evidence from Kenya and Nigeria: Varsha Sivaram, India
