Geeta Rao Gupta
Encyclopedia
Geeta Rao Gupta is a leader on gender
, women’s issues, and HIV
and AIDS
. She is frequently consulted on issues related to AIDS prevention and women’s vulnerability to HIV and is an advocate for women’s economic and social empowerment to fight disease, poverty and hunger. Rao Gupta is former president of the International Center for Research on Women
(ICRW). She began working with ICRW in 1988 as a consultant, researcher, and officer, and headed the private, non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. from 1997 through April 2010. She stepped down to join the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
as a senior fellow.
and Delhi
, India, and received her education from the University of Delhi
and Bangalore University
(India). While working toward her advanced degrees in social psychology, she worked as a counselor at a drop-in center in New Delhi and lectured in the psychology departments of several universities. At the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Rao Gupta worked with a team to develop the first women’s studies curriculum for graduate students in India.
In the mid-1980s, Rao Gupta moved to the United States and began working at the International Center for Research on Women
(ICRW) in 1988. She has held a number of positions with ICRW, including consultant, researcher and vice-president. In the 1990s, Rao Gupta headed a ground-breaking, 15-country research program that identified the social and economic roots of women’s vulnerability to HIV infection. Rao Gupta became president of ICRW in 1996.
Rao Gupta currently serves as co-convener of the Social Drivers Working Group of aids2031, an international initiative commissioned by UNAIDS to chart a course for a global response to AIDS over the next twenty-five years. She also serves on the program boards of the Moriah Fund and the Nike Foundation. Rao Gupta served as co-chair of the U.N. Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Youth Employment and from 2002 to 2005, she co-chaired the U.N. Millennium Project’s Task Force on Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women. Rao Gupta was formerly a board member for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and InterAction.
Rao Gupta is often sought by the development community and media, and has been quoted by The Washington Post, The New York Times
and USA Today
, as well as other national and international news sources.
, an M. Phil in organizational behavior from the University of Delhi
, and a master's in clinical of psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Delhi
.
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, women’s issues, and HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. She is frequently consulted on issues related to AIDS prevention and women’s vulnerability to HIV and is an advocate for women’s economic and social empowerment to fight disease, poverty and hunger. Rao Gupta is former president of the International Center for Research on Women
International Center for Research on Women
-Focus areas:ICRW research identifies women's contributions to their communities and the barriers – like HIV, violence, and lack of education – that prevent them from being economically stable and able to fully participate in society...
(ICRW). She began working with ICRW in 1988 as a consultant, researcher, and officer, and headed the private, non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. from 1997 through April 2010. She stepped down to join the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
as a senior fellow.
Biography
Rao Gupta grew up in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India, and received her education from the University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
and Bangalore University
Bangalore University
Bangalore University is a public university located in Bangalore, Karnataka State, India. The university is one of the oldest in India, dating back to 1886...
(India). While working toward her advanced degrees in social psychology, she worked as a counselor at a drop-in center in New Delhi and lectured in the psychology departments of several universities. At the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Rao Gupta worked with a team to develop the first women’s studies curriculum for graduate students in India.
In the mid-1980s, Rao Gupta moved to the United States and began working at the International Center for Research on Women
International Center for Research on Women
-Focus areas:ICRW research identifies women's contributions to their communities and the barriers – like HIV, violence, and lack of education – that prevent them from being economically stable and able to fully participate in society...
(ICRW) in 1988. She has held a number of positions with ICRW, including consultant, researcher and vice-president. In the 1990s, Rao Gupta headed a ground-breaking, 15-country research program that identified the social and economic roots of women’s vulnerability to HIV infection. Rao Gupta became president of ICRW in 1996.
Rao Gupta currently serves as co-convener of the Social Drivers Working Group of aids2031, an international initiative commissioned by UNAIDS to chart a course for a global response to AIDS over the next twenty-five years. She also serves on the program boards of the Moriah Fund and the Nike Foundation. Rao Gupta served as co-chair of the U.N. Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Youth Employment and from 2002 to 2005, she co-chaired the U.N. Millennium Project’s Task Force on Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women. Rao Gupta was formerly a board member for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and InterAction.
Rao Gupta is often sought by the development community and media, and has been quoted by The Washington Post, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, as well as other national and international news sources.
Education
Rao Gupta received a Ph.D. in social psychology from Bangalore UniversityBangalore University
Bangalore University is a public university located in Bangalore, Karnataka State, India. The university is one of the oldest in India, dating back to 1886...
, an M. Phil in organizational behavior from the University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
, and a master's in clinical of psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
.
Expertise
Rao Gupta’s expertise is in gender mainstreaming, women’s health, HIV and AIDS, women’s economic empowerment, private sector roles in development, strategies to empower women and advance gender equality, and women and poverty.Awards and recognition
- Women Who Mean Business Award, Washington Business Journal, 2007
- Anne Roe Award, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Legacy Award, Working Mother Media, 2006
Publications
- Gender and HIV: Reflecting Back, Moving Forward" In HIV/AIDS: Global Frontiers in Prevention/Intervention.
- Gender Mainstreaming: Making it Happen.
- "Structural approaches to HIV prevention"
- "Taking Action: Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering Women"
- "Value Added Women and U.S. Foreign Assistance for the 21st Century"
Speeches and statements
- "Closing the Gender Gap: Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?" 9th International Congress on AIDS and Asia in the Pacific, August 11, 2009
- "Remarks to the House Hunger Caucus and Congressional Global Health Caucus Congressional Briefing" House Hunger Caucus and Congressional Global Health Caucus, Congressional Briefing, July 31, 2007
- "Unlocking the Power of Women: Is Education the Key?" Harvard Graduate School of Education, October 25, 2006
- "Remarks from the Informal Interactive Hearings of the U.N. General Assembly" Statement at the Informal Interactive Hearings of the United Nations General Assembly, June 23, 2005
- "Statement by Geeta Rao Gupta at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS" United Nations General Assembly 26th Special Session on HIV/AIDS, New York, June 25–27, 2001
- "Gender, Sexuality, and HIV/AIDS: The What, the Why, and the How" XIIIth International AIDS Conference, Durban, South Africa, July 12, 2000
External links
- "The Creative Capitalism Roundtable", TIME Magazine, Jul-31, 2008
- "The Class Struggle", , Financial Times, Sept-26, 2008
- "The Creative Capitalism Roundtable", TIME Magazine, Jul-31, 2008
- "RIGHTS: Ignoring Girls' Welfare Carries High Price"
- "International Center for Research on Women Staff Bio"
- "International Center for Research on Women website"
- "Geeta Rao Gupta, Ph.D., Joins Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a Senior Fellow" Gates Foundation.org, Oct 8, 2009