About the director

EXPERIENCE OVERVIEW

Mohamed Ayad who holds a doctorate in demography from the Université de Paris-I (Panthéon Sorbonne) is currently the director of Utica International, a small business company specializing in data collection and analysis in the field of population and maternal and child health..

Dr. Ayad had 23 years of experience with Macro International, which was acquired by ICF International in 2009.

He is a demographer and survey specialist with 35 years of professional experience in survey implementation in developing countries. He has been directly involved in the design of more than 60 population-based surveys in 25 countries. Dr. Ayad implemented the first successful panel survey under the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program. He also implemented the first DHS survey that included HIV testing in order to evaluate the HIV prevalence among the adult population. Dr. Ayad supervised country monitors, recruited countries, and monitored survey implementation through all stages, including the production of the final report and dissemination.

PROJECT EXPERIENCE

Utica International, Director, 2012–Present.  Dr. Ayad serves as the director of Utica International, a small business company specializing in data collection and analysis in the field of population and health at the international level. Utica International collaborates with a team of 12 consultants (statisticians, data processing specialists, sampling specialists, demographers and health professionals) from eight different countries.

ICF International, Technical Director, 2009–2012; Macro International, Technical Director, 1999–2009; Principal Demographic Expert, 1986–1998. Dr. Ayad serves as regional coordinator for Francophone Africa and the Middle East for the MEASURE DHS program. He supervises country monitors responsible for survey implementations; recruits countries; negotiates contracts in-country; and monitors survey implementation through all stages, including production of the final report and dissemination. Dr. Ayad is a strategic planning advisor to the program director; he collaborates with international organizations such as the Pan Arab Project for Family Health (PAPFAM) program of the Arab League, International Planned Parenthood Federation, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund, and World Bank. He has supported the preparation of 29 DHS survey main reports and collaborated with implementing organizations on more than 20 national seminars. Dr. Ayad has also coauthored 4 comparative reports and 18 secondary analyses of Benin, Mali Morocco, Rwanda, and Senegal DHS data on contraceptive use and discontinuation, determinants of child morality, unmet need in family planning, nutrition and maternal and child health, and sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Ayad also served as regional coordinator for Francophone Africa and the Middle East for the DHS-III and DHS-IV programs. During that period, he supervised five country monitors responsible for survey implementation in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Haiti, Jordan, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Togo, Turkey, and Yemen. He served as country manager for the DHS in Cote d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, Morocco, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, and Senegal. Dr. Ayad also generated interest in DHS surveys in non‑DHS countries, some of which use DHS core documents to conduct their own surveys. Occasionally, non-DHS countries such as Chad, Comoros, and Guinea paid for technical assistance from Macro through international organizations such as the World Bank and UNFPA.

Under the DHS-II program, Dr. Ayad served a similar role as regional coordinator for Francophone Africa and the Middle East, supervising country monitors responsible for survey implementation in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Jordan, Madagascar, Niger, Rwanda, and Yemen. He was also the country manager for the DHS surveys in Morocco and Senegal.

Under the DHS-I program, Dr. Ayad monitored Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. In his previous assignment on the Contraceptive Prevalence Survey (CPS) project, he monitored Haiti, Morocco, and Tunisia and provided technical assistance to the survey in Zaire. He supervised all stages of both the CPS and DHS projects. This entailed preparing the contract with the in-country implementing agency, including the work plan and budget; mapping and drawing up the sample frame; sampling; preparing, translating, testing, and finalizing questionnaires; writing various manuals destined for field personnel; writing, coding, and verifying manuals; determining specifications for various data controls; organizing and supervising field operations; preparing the tabulation plan; and producing the final reports.

Westinghouse Health Systems, Demographer, 1981–1985. Dr. Ayad managed CPS surveys in Haiti, Morocco, Tunisia, and Zaire (actual Democratic Republic of Congo).

National Office of Family Planning and Population, Tunis, Tunisia; Division Director, 1979–1980; Director, National Fertility Survey, 1978–1980; Section Head, 1973–1978. As Director of the Division of Research and Demographic Studies, Dr. Ayad supervised the research program of the National Office of Family Planning and Population, prepared annual action plans, and helped develop the Five-Year National Economic and Social Plan.

As Director of the Tunisian National Fertility Survey (World Fertility Survey), Dr. Ayad supervised a staff of 50 and oversaw questionnaire adaptation, training, survey implementation, data analysis, and reports production. He also worked as a demographer and head of the research and evaluation section and was a member of the committee tasked with preparing the 1975 Tunisian census.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Dr. Ayad has worked in various countries in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean, including the following: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Congo (Kinshasa), Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Guinea, Haiti, Jordan, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, and Yemen.

He has extensive work experience in the Middle East region. Dr. Ayad has implemented more than 15 national surveys in Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Yemen. These large surveys dealt with topics related to consanguinity, nuptiality, reproductive health, maternal and child health, nutrition, child and maternal mortality, chronic diseases, and population issues.

Dr. Ayad taught courses in Tunis, Tunisia, including undergraduate courses in population at Bourguiba School, University of Tunis (1979–80); population courses for midwives at Ecole Avicenne de Santé Publique (1974–75); and statistics and population courses at School of Social Work, Ministry of Social Affairs (1973–74).

Dr. Ayad consulted for and contributed to several projects and organizations. He was a project advisor for the report The Future of the Global Muslim Population, Projections for 2010-2030, published in 2011 by the Pew Researcher Center, The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. He was a member of the Consultative Committee on Programs, IPPF—Arab Region (1991–98); consultant to Westinghouse Health Systems (1980); Maghreb representative to the Middle East Awards Advisory committee of the Population Council (1979–80); demographic consultant for the International Development Research Centre of Ottawa, Canada, the pretest of the Haitian National Fertility Survey/World Fertility Survey (1977); and collaborator on a study of the relationship between education and employment in Tunisia, directed by Dr. John Simmons of Harvard University (1972).

In 1977, Dr. Ayad completed 20 credits toward a degree in population studies/public health at the Harvard School of Public Health.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Hong R., Ayad M. and F. Ngabo. 2011. Being insured improves safe delivery practices in Rwanda. Journal Community Health. Oct;36(5):779-84.

Rutstein, S., M. Ayad, R. Ren, and R. Hong, 2009. Changing health conditions and the decline of infant and child mortality in Benin, Benin further analysis. Calverton, MD: Macro International Inc.

Hong R., M. Ayad, S. Rutstein, and R. Ruilin. 2009. Childhood mortality in Rwanda: Levels, trends and differentials, Rwanda Further Analysis. Calverton, MD: Macro International Inc.

Ayad, M., and R. Hong. 2009. Levels and trends of contraceptive prevalence and estimate of unmet need for family planning in Rwanda, Rwanda further analysis. Calverton, MD: Macro International Inc.

Mariko, S., A. Ag Iknane, M. Ayad, and R. Hong. 2009. État nutritionnel des enfants de moins de cinq ans au Mali de 1995 à 2006 (Nutritional status of children under five years in Mali from 1995 to 2006), Mali further analysis. Calverton, MD: Macro International Inc.

Mariko, S., M. Ayad, R. Hong, O. Keita, and M. Diop. 2009. Pratique contraceptive et importance des besoins non satisfaits en matière de planification familiale au Mali de 1995 à 2006 (Contraceptive practices and importance of unmet need for family planning in Mali from 1996 to 2006), Mali further analysis. Calverton, MD: Macro International Inc.

Ayad, M., and F. Roudi-Fahimi. 2006. Fertility decline and reproductive health in Morocco: New DHS figures. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau. Available at http://www.prb.org/Content/ NavigationMenu/PRB/DataFinder/New_Country_Data/Fertility_Decline_and_Reproductive_Health_in_Morocco__New_DHS_Figures.htm.

Ayad, M., and H. Jemai. 2001. Les déterminants de la fécondité (Fertility determinants). In J. Vallin and T. Locoh (eds.), Population et développement en Tunisie : La métamorphose. Tunis: CERES Edition.

Ayad, M., and M. Azelmat. 1999. Regard sur la fécondité, la santé et la planification familiale au Maroc (A look at fertility, health and family planning in Morocco). Rabat, Morocco: Macro International Inc. and Ministère de la Santé Publique, Direction de la Planification et des Ressources Financières, Service des Études et de l’Information Sanitaire.

Ayad, M., and S. Ndiaye. 1998. Perspectives sur la planification familiale, la fécondité et la santé au Sénégal (Perspectives on family planning, fertility and health in Senegal). Dakar, Senegal: Macro International Inc. and Ministère de l’Économie, des Finances et du Plan.

Ayad M., B. Barrère, and J. Otto. 1997. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of households, DHS comparative studies, no. 26. Calverton, MD: Macro International Inc.

Ayad, M., M. Azelmat, E. Housni, and M. Laaziri. 1997. Transition des déterminants proches de la fécondité au Maroc (Transition of proximate determinants of fertility in Morocco), Dossiers Population et Santé no. 6. Ministère de la Santé Publique, Direction de la Planification et des Ressources Financières, Service des Études et de l’Information Sanitaire, Rabat, Morocco.

Ayad M., M. Wilkinson, and M. McNiff. 1994. Sources of contraceptive method, DHS comparative studies, no. 11. Calverton, MD: Macro International Inc.

Ayad, M., L. Piani, B. Barrère, Koffi Ekouevi, and J. Otto. 1994. Demographic characteristics of households, DHS comparative studies, no. 14. Calverton, MD: Macro International Inc.

Ayad, M., and B. Barrère. 1991. Présentation des enquêtes démographiques et de santé (Presentation of the demographic and health surveys). Population, 46(4), 96–975.

Rutenberg, N., M. Ayad, L. H. Ochoa, and M. Wilkinson. 1991. Knowledge and use of contraception, DHS comparative studies, no. 6. Columbia, MD: Institute for Resource Development.

Maguire, E., A. Way, and M. Ayad. 1982. The delivery and use of contraceptive services in rural Tunisia. International Family Planning Perspectives, 8.

Ayad, M., and M. Baraket. 1980. Le divorce en Tunisie (Divorce in Tunisia). Revue Tunisienne des Études de Population, no. 1. Prepared for the Third Colloquium on Maghrebian Demography, Tunis, Tunisia.

Ayad, M., and Y. Jemai. 1978. Fertility declines in Tunisia: Factors affecting recent trends. In J. Allman (ed.), Woman’s status and fertility in the Muslim world. New York: Praeger Special Studies.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Technical Committee of the PAPFAM project, 2002–Present

Arab Demographers Association, 1998–Present

Population Association of America, 1982–Present

Association Maghrébine pour l’Étude de Population, 1978–Present

LANGUAGES

Arabic: Speak, read, write

French: Speak, read, write

COMPUTER SKILLS

Hardware: IBM PCs and compatibles

Software: Corel WordPerfect, Harvard Graphics, Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), SPSS, STATA

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY