image: Byllye Avery (center) with CUNY SPH Dean Ayman El-Mohandes (left) and Senior Associate Dean Terry McGovern (right)
Credit: CUNY SPH
New York, NY | November 3, 2025: On Thursday, the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) officially launched the Byllye Avery Professorship in Sexual & Reproductive Justice, the nation’s first of its kind. The announcement was marked with a celebration that brought together reproductive justice leaders and philanthropists, including Avery, Loretta Ross, Dr. Natalia Kanem, and Abigail Disney.
A pioneering feminist leader and founder of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, Byllye Avery has long championed global sexual and reproductive justice (SRJ). This professorship will build upon her model of scholar activism—advancing teaching, research, and public engagement in SRJ, and reinforcing CUNY SPH’s leadership in this vital area of public health education.
“It is impossible to overstate the impact that Byllye Avery has had on me and my peers in the reproductive justice movement, and on feminism globally,” said Terry McGovern, senior associate dean for academic and student affairs. “For over five decades she has been a leader and tireless advocate for women’s health, and her courage and vision continue to inspire our work. Commitment to social justice is at the core of CUNY SPH’s mission, and the Byllye Avery Professorship in Sexual & Reproductive Justice is not just a tribute to her legacy but an investment in the future of justice-centered public health.”
The professorship will be housed in the CUNY SPH Sexual & Reproductive Justice Hub. The hub, launched in 2024, coordinates research, training, and advocacy focused on dismantling systemic inequities and building community-driven approaches to health and rights.
Through this professorship, CUNY SPH will:
- Advance cutting-edge scholarship centered on the experiences of Black women, Indigenous women, and other marginalized communities;
- Develop and expand a solutions-based SRJ curriculum;
- Increase and improve access to culturally responsive reproductive health services both in the U.S. and globally; and
- Train the next generation of public health scholar-activists to advocate for and advance the right to human health.
“I’ve devoted my life to protecting and advocating for women’s healthcare, especially for Black women, and I’m proud that CUNY SPH continues this mission with the next generation,” said Byllye Avery. “Today’s students and activists are coming in with a fire in their belly, and I believe they can be a catalyst for change in reproductive justice and health. This professorship will equip them with the training and experience to advance this vital justice-centered work.”
Applications for the professorship are now open on CUNY’s LinkedIn.
Expanding SRJ education at CUNY SPH
The professorship builds on the school’s growing reproductive justice education and training initiatives. Beginning in January 2026, CUNY SPH will offer a new master of public health degree in Sexual and Reproductive Justice and Health (SRJH)—one of the few programs nationwide that are explicitly centered on reproductive justice.
Grounded in the framework developed by a collective of Black women leaders in 1994, the SRJH program integrates intersectionality, community voice, and systems change into its curriculum. Students will gain the skills to translate justice-oriented theory into practice, advocating for reproductive autonomy, health equity, and human rights.
Together, the SRJ Hub, the Byllye Avery Professorship in Sexual & Reproductive Justice, and the SRJH MPH concentration position CUNY SPH at the forefront of a movement to embed and prioritize sexual and reproductive justice in public health education. For more information, visit sph.cuny.edu/research/srj-hub/.
Media contact:
Katherine Hartley
Press Relations Manager
CUNY SPH Sexual & Reproductive Justice Hub
katherine.hartley@sph.cuny.edu
About CUNY SPH
The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) is committed to promoting and sustaining healthier populations in New York City and around the world through excellence in education, research, and service in public health and by advocating for sound policy and practice to advance social justice and improve health outcomes for all.