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Jennifer Schlecht

Jennifer Schlecht, Program Officer for Reproductive Health, leads the Women’s Refugee Commission's maternal health and reproductive health emergency preparedness initiatives. Jennifer, who joined the Women's Refugee Commission in 2011, brings to this position a strong background in work with conflict-affected populations. Her initial refugee resettlement work with Church World Service in the camps of northern Kenya, motivated later commitment to the development of  health and social programs in emergency and protracted camp settings. Recently, Jennifer worked with the RAISE initiative at Columbia University to improve maternal health in conflict settings, through intensive field support in Colombia, Thailand, Sudan, and northern Uganda. Additionally, Jennifer has worked on reproductive health issues domestically and in a development context. She was a University of Michigan Population Fellow with EngenderHealth, Tanzania from 2004 to 2006. Jennifer’s most recent position was Director of HIV Supportive Services at the Family Care Center, Columbia University’s affiliate at Harlem Hospital, where she focused specifically on health and mental health programming for young adults.

Jennifer earned her Master’s degree in Public Health and Social Work from Columbia University. She was honored as a Compton’s Fellow during her graduate studies in public health, and is a licensed mental health provider. Jennifer is also a former Peace Corps Volunteer - Namibia.