Gene Declercq combines formal training in political science with almost twenty years of experience as a certified childbirth educator to examine policy and practice related to childbirth in the US and abroad. The most recent example is his current research examining cesarean section in the US as part of his work as a Robert Wood Johnson-funded Health Policy Investigator. He has served as lead author of two national studies of women's experiences in childbirth entitled Listening to Mothers. He's published numerous research articles and is (very gradually) working on a book on cesarean childbirth. He was a technical advisor to the film documentary, The Business of Being Born. He's also been active in a variety of public health projects in his hometown of Lawrence, Massachusetts, including immunization and lead poisoning prevention efforts and is currently involved in a community-wide oral health campaign that includes developing St. Luke's Dental Clinic to serve those without access to care. He has authored two editions of the report, The Health of the Merrimack Valley, which examined health status in 24 Massachusetts communities. As an educator, he is a past president of the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health and has been a recipient of the Norman Scotch Award for outstanding teaching at BUSPH. He currently serves as the BUSPH Assistant Dean for Doctoral Education, directing a collaborative effort that led to a new Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Program at BUSPH. He also serves as co-chair of the Steering Committee for the DrPH Subcommittee of the Association of Schools of Public Health.