Since its founding in 1973, Jhpiego has been innovating to save the lives of women and families worldwide. From the first day, Jhpiego has been asking the question: How can we make lifesaving services available and accessible to the people who need them—all over the world?
Dr. Theodore M. King, an early innovator and champion for women’s health, was the moving force behind the founding of Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University. In the early 1970s, King recognized the need to make physicians, nurses and administrators from developing countries aware of reproductive health breakthroughs, such as laparoscopy (a procedure used to inspect internal reproductive organs for infertility or to provide contraception by closing off the fallopian tubes) and modern contraceptives. Originally known as the Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics, the organization was funded through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Under King’s leadership, as a founder, trustee and later president of Jhpiego for 14 years, the organization conducted a steady stream of programs throughout the developing world.
