History
2020
- 2020 Grantees Mike O’Rand, Mariano Buffone, Robert Braun, Alison Ojanen-Goldsmith, and Pablo Visconti are announced
- Male Contraceptive Initiative partnered with Contraline, Inc. to provide a $1 million Program Related Investment (PRI) to support a first-in-human clinical trial for the company’s novel vas-occlusive contraceptive device, ADAM™
- Brittany Chambers and Jaylan Weaver join us as our first fellows from North Carolina Central University
- Townshend Peters and Elyse Miller join us as our 2020 fellows from UNC Gillings School of Public Health
- Oleksander “Sasha” Kirsanov, Saman Nayyab, and Md Abdullah Al Noman named 2020 MCI Fellows
- Jaylan Weaver is hired as our Program Assistant
- 2020 MCI RFA announced with funding tracks of $150,000 and $300,000, including scope for behavioral research
- David C. Sokal, MD, steps down as Chair of the Board, and is replaced by Michael Rusnak
- MCI publishes peer-reviewed articles in Biology of Reproduction and Contraception
- MCI launches Intended - the first podcast focused entirely on male contraception
2019
2019
- 2019 Grantees Mike O’Rand, Stephen Palmer, Steven L’Hernault, and Zhibing Zhang are announced
- Vas-occlusion grants awarded to Contraline and Revolution Contraceptives
- Four new research grants awarded from $150,000-$300,000
- Kathryn Carpenter joins as our first fellow from UNC Gillings
- MCI publishes our first consumer research study
- Pilot programs launched for Campus Ambassadors & a Youth Advisory Board
- Melanie Balbach, Jae Yeon Hwang, and Max Lyon named 2020 MCI Fellows
- 2019 RFA announced with funding tracks of $150,000 and $300,000
- Ideation event and convening of non-hormonal male contraceptive researchers hosted in San Francisco
2018
2018
- Four $150,000 seed grants awarded to early stage research universities in the US, Australia, and Argentina
- Co-authored a publication on the potential impact of new male contraceptives on unintended pregnancies in the journal, Contraception
- Deb Levine, MA is hired as Interim Executive Director
- Fellowships awarded to 2018 MCI Fellows Aaron Crapster and Liliya Gabalev
- Heather Vahdat, MPH is hired as Executive Director
- Kevin Shane is hired as Design and Communications Strategist
2017
2017
- Logan Nickels, PhD is hired as Director of Programs and Operations
- First $500k grant awarded to start-up, Vibliome, working on kinase inhibitors and their escape pathways
- Conducted market research survey on acceptability of novel male contraceptives with 1500 men in the US
2016
2016
- Partnerships established with FHI360 and DKT International
- Board of Directors expands to a total of 7
- Scientific Advisory Board convened
2015
2015
- Indiegogo campaign raises $10k in donations for MCI
- Grant awarded to Dr. Gary Flynn at the University of Montana
2014
2014
- Aaron Hamlin, JD, MBA hired as the first Executive Director
- Name of the organization is changed to Male Contraception Initiative (MCI)
2013
2013
- Article published in Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News titled, “Men and Women Need a New Contraceptive” by David C. Sokal
- The Foundation for Male Contraception incorporated as a 501(c)3
- First funding awarded from Elaine Lissner of the Parsemus Foundation
2012
2012
- David C. Sokal, MD gives a presentation making the case for new reversible male contraceptives at a WHO Technical Consultation in Geneva