When Good Things Happen to Good People: Karin Coyle Recognized by Healthy Teen Network

By ETR | August 10, 2018
 

The planets must be aligned auspiciously. Dr. Karin Coyle, ETR’s Chief Science Officer, has just been awarded the 2018 Douglas B. Kirby Researcher of the Year award from Healthy Teen Network (HTN).This is a confluence of three extraordinary goods.

Good #1: Karin Coyle

Dr. Coyle, a longtime colleague and friend of Doug Kirby, has been a leader in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health for over 25 years. She’s served as lead program developer on a number of large, randomized control trials that have resulted in nationally recognized evidence-based HIV, STD and pregnancy prevention programs.

Karin is always ready to move forward in her thinking and research, listen to new ideas and evidence, and disrupt her thinking to discover new solutions. She is working now to integrate developmental neuroscience and the context of adolescent relationships into prevention efforts. She’s evaluating lessons that incorporate technology in ways that increase program impact with youth.

She’s inviting us along on this journey! One of her recent blog posts encourages us all to disrupt our thinking about sex education.

Good #2: Doug Kirby

Dr. Douglas Kirby was a senior research scientist at ETR at the time of his death in 2012. He was one of the world’s leading experts in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. He authored over 150 articles, chapters and monographs. He served as an advisor to numerous national and international agencies and organizations. He loved thinking about practically anything, engaging in thoughtful and respectful debate about the field, collaborating in research and offering support and encouragement to students and young professionals.

Good #3: Healthy Teen Network

The Healthy Teen Network has a longstanding commitment to young people and the professionals who work with them. They are known for their advocacy, their support for youth empowerment in matters of sexual and reproductive health, and the practical ways they promote these things through capacity-building, policy work, networking, research and more.

They are a membership organization, with membership at student, individual and organizational levels. Consider joining!

Support Through the Challenges

Those of us working in the sexual and reproductive health arena face many challenges in our efforts. This is a great moment to pause and reflect on the good that is being done by our colleagues and friends, our leadership organizations and our own efforts. Thank you, Karin, Doug and HTN, for reminding us of all of the progress that is being made.