Johanna Kostenzer, PhD
Advocate for Women's Reproductive Health
10+ years of international experience in the academic and nonprofit sector. experienced project and team leader. passionate networker and partnership builder across disciplines and cultures. social scientist with specializations in reproductive health and bioethics.
Expertise
Social egg freezing - women's experiences and viewpoints in Austria and the Netherlands, the regulation of egg freezing in Austria, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands
Donor human milk - the regulation of donor human milk in the EU, infant nutrition
Newborn health - infant and family centred developmental care during the COVID-19 pandemic, health of preterm infants / babies born too soon
Harmful practices - female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), prental sex selection and sex-selective abortion, gender-based violence
Talks (selection)
Health Science Forum Vienna: Science Meets Demography - Reproductive Medicine at the Intersection of Ethics and Innovation, 2024
Congress of the European Academy of Paediatric Societies (EAPS), 2022
International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation, 2022
Infant Health Policy Summit, 2021
Policy launch event: Making Human Milk Matter – The need for regulation in the European Union, 2020
International Expert Symposium: Comparative and transnational perspectives on technologies of fertility preservation and extension, 2019
AFIN International Conference: Towards Reproductive (In)Justice?: Mobilities, Technologies, Labourings & Decisions, 2019
UNESCO Chair in Bioethics World Conference, 2018
Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research in collaboration with WHO/RHR und OMPHI - Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute, 2017
ISA Human Rights Joint Conference, 2015
ESC Congress “Challenges in Sexual and Reproductive Health”, 2014
Teaching experience
Healthcare Ethics (master, English)
Human Rights & Ethics (bachelor, English)
Ethical Decision Making (master, English)
Healthcare Governance (master, English)
Interdisciplinary Lecture Series “Interventions: Reproduction as Technological, Social, and Cultural Experiment” (master, German)
Marketing for Nonprofit Organisations (bachelor, German)
Moderation & Presentation Skills (bachelor, German)
Advanced Research Methods (master, English)
Thesis supervision (bachelor & master, English & German)
Publications
Find a complete list here:
Scientific articles and commentaries (selection)
Parents’ experiences regarding neonatal care during the COVID-19 pandemic—country-specific findings of a multinational survey. BMJ Open, 2022.
An unconventional path to conventional motherhood: A qualitative study of women's motivations and experiences regarding social egg freezing in the Netherlands. Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction, 2021.
Between “Medical” and “Social” egg freezing: A comparative analysis of egg freezing regulations in Austria, Germany, Israel, and the Netherlands. Bioethical Inquiry, 2021.
Zero separation: infant and family-centred developmental care in times of COVID-19. Commentary. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, 2021.
Neonatal care during the COVID-19 pandemic - a global survey of parents’ experiences regarding infant and family-centred developmental care. EClinicalMedicine, 2021.
Making human milk matter: the need for EU regulation. Commentary. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, 2021.
Unveiling the controversy on egg freezing in The Netherlands: A Q-methodology study on women’s viewpoints. Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online, 2021.
Women’s viewpoints on egg freezing in Austria: an online Q-methodology study. BMC Medical Ethics, 2021.
Eizellen einfrieren für später? Die Kontroverse um Social Egg Freezing in Österreich. Juridikum, 2020.
Harmful Practices on the Global Agenda: Comparing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and Gender-Biased Sex Selection. Autrepart, 2018.
Setting the International Agenda: The Case of Prenatal Sex Selection. The international journal of interdisciplinary civic and political studies, 2017.
Books and book chapters
(selection)
Boon and Bane of Assisted Reproductive Technologies: The impact of son preference and prenatal sex selection in a globalized world. 2019.
Human Trafficking and Exploitation for the Purpose of Reproduction. 2018.
Human Trafficking and Exploitation – Lessons from Europe. London/New York: Routledge, 2018 (eds).
Female Genital Mutilation in Europe – An overall approach to eliminate the practice. Saarbrücken: AV, 2013.
Policy papers and project reports
(selection)
Zero separation. Together for better care! Infant and family-centred developmental care in times of COVID-19—A global survey of parents’ experiences. Project report, 2021.
Making Human Milk Matter - The need for regulation in the European Union. Policy Recommendations, 2020.
Health of the East Coast population of India. ACCESS Health International, Project report, 2011.
Health Needs of North Coastal Prakasam region Andhra Pradesh, India. ACCESS Health International, Project report, 2011.
Media coverage & contributions
Der Nachwuchs aus dem Gefrierschrank. Wiener Zeitung: 2 August 2024.
Ice, ice, baby? Social Egg Freezing und die Hoffnung auf Familie. Die Fruchtbar: 28 October 2023.
Der verbotene Kinderwunsch. Falter: 22 February 2022.
Social freezing. RoSa vzw, Pers:pectief: 25 February 2021.
Frauen: die treibende Kraft. Weltnachrichten: 20 September 2018.
Gleichberechtigt? Noch lange nicht. Interview. Kurier: 4 August 2018.
Contact
In case of questions, comments or inquiries, please get in touch.