The Guttmacher Institute today honors Elizabeth G. Raymond, MD, MPH, as the first recipient of the Darroch Award. Dr. Raymond's research, which has been published in more than 40 articles and book chapters, focuses primarily on the availability and use of emergency contraception and spermicides, both in the United States and overseas. Her research at Family Health International has been integral to the Food and Drug Administration’s deliberations on over-the-counter access to emergency contraception.

In addition to her research, Dr. Raymond has pioneered a program in North Carolina that offers emergency contraception prescriptions over the phone—a model now being replicated across the country as a way to increase access to the method. And, as a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Raymond sees patients at a local Planned Parenthood clinic. Dr. Raymond shares the Guttmacher Institute’s commitment to using state-of-the-art science to solve real-world problems and meet women’s day-to-day sexual and reproductive health needs.

"Dr. Raymond epitomizes the scholar-activist this award seeks to honor," notes Dr. Sharon Camp, president of the Guttmacher Institute. "She is committed to rigorous and innovative research and its practical application to improving public policies and programs. That marriage of scholarship and commitment to change has always been a hallmark of the award's namesake, Dr. Jacqueline E. Darroch, the Institute’s former senior vice president."