Our History

Helen Kahng Jaffe and Sarah Cairns-Smith met through Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative in 2020. They realized their mutual concern for the issues in women’s health and particularly the under-investment in novel contraceptive options. Sarah, through her work with the Boston Consulting Group had just published a perspective article in Nature on this exact topic.

Over the course of the following years, Helen and Sarah worked with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health masters students to understand the contraceptive landscape, what women+ seek in contraception, the innovation hurdles, and mapping of potential partners and stakeholders.

They saw an opportunity to form a non-profit that advocates on behalf of women+ for more and better contraceptive options, increasing awareness of the unmet contraceptive gaps, helping to raise funds for basic research, and bringing the women+ perspective to help shape product innovation and address the needs of women+. This led to the founding and incorporation of the non-profit, NewGen Contraception Project Inc. (501c3) in early 2023.

We are experienced advocates, consultants, and researchers who are passionate about reproductive health care and science. Our backgrounds have taught us that cross-sector partnerships can help create the conditions for more focused science that meets the needs of women+.