News

NY Times Obituary: Malcolm Potts, Irreverent Evangelist for Contraception, Dies at 90

Please read here.

With deep sadness we announce the death of Professor Malcolm Potts, our dear colleague, mentor, and the visionary founder of the Bixby Center for Population, Health and Sustainability. He passed away on April 25, 2025, at the age of 90. Malcolm's impact reverberates through the countless individuals he touched and the careers he so generously nurtured.

Using community-based participatory research,  Bhavya Joshi collaborates with refugee women to address maternal health crises, gender-based violence, and family planning. Her work highlights urgent healthcare gaps and empowers communities to shape solutions, aiming to reach marginalized populations first and drive sustainable policy change.  Click here to see her and her teams with refugees to support women's health.

Dr. Julia Walsh, Senior Research Scientist at the Bixby Center, has co-founded the UC Berkeley Climate and Society Center (CSC).

Victoria Lee, Drexler Anthony T. Madamba, Kendy Mendoza, and Hazel Warner, undergraduate students from Ndola Prata's PH181 course, Poverty and Population, have been in touch with Congressional Representatives in Washington DC, Journalist Alisha Haridasani Gupta (New York Times) and Governor Inslee (Washington).  Click here to read the students' exceptional work!

The Chair of the Bixby Center Professor Ndola Prata, MD, MSc and her DrPh candidate Blake Erhardt-Ohren presented research from their collaborative projects at the African Population Conference in Lilongwe, Malawi.

First project

Title: What happens to abortion rights for refugees in Africa when they cross borders?

Amol De Gabriel from the community-led media initiative Kakuma Cinema interviewed Bhavya Joshi, one of the Bixby Center's fellows on February 22, 2024 in Kakuma, Kenya. The conversation touched upon various topics, beginning with Bhavya’s background, and the purpose of her visit to Kakuma. She shared perspectives on the significance of her work in promoting reproductive health and well-being within the community. She concluded with a message to Kakuma's youth. The exchange highlighted the spirit of mutual learning and collaboration with the community.  

Telemedicine provides a unique opportunity to improve abortion care in Rwanda by allowing for service provision at primary care level. Efficacy of medication abortion is well established in healthcare,yet research in Rwanda is still needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of management of first trimester medication abortion cases at health centers. While current services are only available in district hospitals, services at health centers would decrease referrals for first trimester medication abortion.

THE INSIDE SCOOP: SOCIETY FOR FAMILY PLANNING (SFP) ANNUAL MEETING

When: Thursday, November 2, 2023, 1 pm-2pm

Where:  BWW Bldg, Room 5400

Click here to join via Zoom, meeting ID 999 7011 9745, passcode 979227 

Topic: Mobilizing Climate, Gender, and Health Research for Action

Moderator: Professor Ndola Prata, MD, MSc, the chair of the Bixby Center

Dear Bixby Center Affiliates and Friends:

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has made clear the rapidly narrowing opportunity to enable climate resilient development. To create a different future, we must work differently, integrating across sectors, seeking synergy between climate and development actions, and highlighting diverse knowledge and innovation—especially from women and girls. 

Women and girls may be the most affected by climate change—but they are also key to climate resilience and a thriving future.

Professor Ndola Prata will be teaching this new course in the fall 2023 semester.  This  2-unit graduate course is open to all students of all disciplines.  With special permission, undergraduate students are welcome to enroll as well!

The poster highlights our work using telemedicine to increase access to 1st trimester abortion in Rwanda.

Please click here for the poster.

Bixby Center's summer internship recipients 2022

Renee Clarke's research presentation on "Perceptions of empowerment of birthing people in the San Francisco Bay Area: survey methods"

Dr. Julia Walsh's opinion has been published in the Mercury News.  She explains why she supports abortion choice. 

Dr. Walsh is the former Chair of Bixby Center.  She was also a health professor in the School of Public Health of UC Berkeley.  Currently she is a senior research scientist at the School of Public Health.