About

I am Elizabeth Rowley, a senior researcher and program advisor in gender and global health.

My home base is Norrköping, Sweden where I’ve spent significant periods of time since childhood. I have been living here full-time since early 2020 and began my consulting work through Gender Impact Sweden AB in 2024.

I’ve lived in Colombia, Uganda, Kenya and the US, and over the past 30 years, I’ve worked in a variety of international development and humanitarian contexts in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

In every project I work on, my goal is to leverage my skills and experience in the most efficient and effective way to meet the need at hand. I do this through careful listening, purposeful dialogue, and the delivery of high-quality technical outputs.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of my work is forging productive and respectful collaborations with communities, civil society organizations, research partners, leaders in local government and health services, program implementers and advocates.

I’m a committed collaborator who is passionate about health equity and the right to live free from violence. I believe in sustainable change through evidence- and right-based action.

My Professional Strengths

Colleagues consistently value my communication skills, judgement, attention to detail, and commitment to teamwork.

I greatly enjoy data analysis and technical writing, and have published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and technical reports.

For many years, I was a member of both the Research Ethics Committee and Scientific Merit Review Committee at PATH, where I promoted the quality and integrity of research.

I have designed, implemented and evaluated projects funded by USAID, DFID, The Global Fund, UN agencies, and private foundations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and Hewlett Foundation. I’ve also worked with a wide range of NGOs and UN agencies including UNHCR and WHO.  

My Training and Credentials

I am trained in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and earned a Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2010) where I wrote a dissertation on migration patterns, sexual violence, and early marriage in southern Sudanese refugee populations in Uganda.

I also hold a Master of Health Sciences (MHS) degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (1999), a Master of International Affairs (MIA) degree from the School of International and Public Health at Columbia University (1992) with a concentration in Economic and Political Development, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Tufts University (1989) with majors in International Relations and French.

Languages: English (native), Swedish (proficient), French (proficient), Spanish (proficient)

Analysis programs: Stata, Nvivo

Recent Work Experience

Before starting Gender Impact, I worked for more than a decade at PATH, a US-based non-profit organization working to accelerate global health equity.

As Senior Global Advisor for Gender Programs and Research, I led institutional capacity strengthening and program strategy focused on gender equity.

In this role, I work with technical teams, communities, and diverse stakeholder groups to define, develop, and monitor gender equitable primary health care services.

Much of my work at PATH and in previous positions has focused on gender-based violence prevention and strengthening health systems for the improved quality of GBV-related services.

My technical scope also includes leading or supporting gender-responsive programming in HIV, TB, sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, immunization, diagnostics, malaria and policy advocacy.

References are available on request