Mohamed Ayad

Dr. Ayad is a distinguished demographer who 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. Dr. Ayad has over 35 years of professional experience in survey implementation in developing countries. He has been directly involved in the design of over 60 population-based surveys in 25 countries. Dr. Ayad started his career as the Division Director for the National Office of Family Planning and Population, Tunis and Director of the Tunisian National Fertility Survey (World Fertility Survey). Dr. Ayad served in leadership roles for the Contraceptive Prevalence Surveys (CPS) for the Westinghouse Health Systems and Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS-1). Under the DHS-II program, Dr. Ayad served a similar role as regional coordinator for Francophone Africa and the Middle East. Dr. Ayad also served as regional coordinator for Francophone Africa and the Middle East for the DHS-III, DHS-IV, and Measure DHS programs.

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 to evaluate 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. 

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. Dr. Ayad has advised several institutions including, Pew Researcher Center, The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Consultative Committee on Programs, IPPF—Arab Region, Middle East Awards Advisory committee of the Population Council, International Development Research Centre of Ottawa, Canada and Harvard University.

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.

Dr. Ayad taught courses in Tunis, Tunisia, including undergraduate courses in population at Bourguiba School, University of Tunis; population courses for midwives at Ecole Avicenne de Santé Publique; and statistics and population courses at the School of Social Work, Ministry of Social Affairs. Mohamed Ayad who holds a doctorate in demography from the Université de Paris-I (Panthéon Sorbonne).