José Villar

José Villar is Professor of Perinatal Medicine at the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Oxford, and Co-director of the Oxford Maternal and Perinatal Health Institute at Green Templeton College. He joined Oxford in 2006 after a distinguished career that included positions at Johns Hopkins University and with the World Health Organization.

His educational background includes medical qualification with specialization in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, a Master of Sciences degree in Nutrition from WHO's research unit in Guatemala, a Masters Degree in Public Health from Harvard University, and a Post-doctoral Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.

Professor Villar's research focuses on perinatal medicine, maternal health, fetal growth, and pregnancy outcomes. He is particularly known for his work on international standards for fetal growth and newborn size, as well as research on calcium supplementation to prevent hypertensive diseases of pregnancy. His INTERGROWTH-21 project has produced critical international standards for fetal growth and newborn size that are used globally.

His recent publication record shows a strong focus on fetal growth restriction, pregnancy outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, preterm birth syndromes, and biomarkers for gestational age estimation. His work spans clinical research, systematic reviews, and large multinational studies that have significant implications for global maternal and child health practices.

Among his notable achievements is the Excellence in Teaching 'Golden Apple Award' from Johns Hopkins University in 1983. He co-founded the WHO Reproductive Health Library in 1997, which became the first WHO electronic review journal based on Cochrane Systematic Reviews.

As Principal Investigator of the INTERGROWTH-21 project, Professor Villar leads one of the most significant multinational studies on fetal growth, with funding from major organizations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation. His work on calcium supplementation was highlighted by The Lancet as one of 'ten proven nutrition-specific interventions' for scaling up to cover 90% of the pregnant population at risk.

He has authored over 230 scientific publications, with his 2001 Lancet paper on a new model of antenatal care cited among the top 10 articles on early childhood development worldwide.