A group of feminist researchers and public health experts (Carole Browner, Francine Coeytaux, S. Marie Harvey, Joanne Leslie, Barbara Pillsbury and Jane Rubin-Kurtzman) founded the Pacific Institute for Women’s Health in 1993 to address pressing issues facing women’s health, such as global access to contraception. From 1993 to 1999, the Pacific Institute operated under the umbrella of the Public Health Institute. In January 2000, the Pacific Institute became an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, focusing on sexual and reproductive health and rights.