Health programme - global

I joined the Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU in September 2023. I am dealing mostly with EU International Development and Cooperation issues as a designated delegate at relevant working parties of the Council. My main WPs are CODEV-PI, RELEX-HQ and EFTA. I am looking forward to engage with colleagues and stakeholders from the EU Institutions and all over Europe.

With over 12 years of experience in project and grant management, stakeholder engagement, and policy advocacy, I have contributed to various development initiatives in the fields of international development cooperation and public health.

Previously managed EU Funded projects on international cooperation - India IP SME Helpdesk and co-led business collaborations through the Enterprise European Network (EEN).

Experienced in managing projects and building partnerships under the initiatives of various multilateral, bilateral and international NGOs. (EU, UNICEF, UNFPA, USAID, BMGF etc.)

Cristina Costa, MD, MPH, is a Consultant Doctor in Public Health working at the Department of Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Disease Prevention at the Portuguese National Institute of Health (INSA), with a focus on HIA, health policy research, and the evaluation of public health programs and plans. She currently coordinates the Technical Working Group for the evaluation of the Portuguese National Health Plan (Plano Nacional de Saúde 2030) at INSA. She is also a guest lecturer in health evaluation at the University of Porto. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and is currently a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at the National School of Public Health (ENSP-NOVA). She has participated in national and international research projects funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the European Commission, and the COST Association, particularly in the fields of impact evaluation and systems thinking. She is an active member of the Portuguese Association of Public Health Doctors (ANMSP), the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), and the European Evaluation Society (EES).

Global Health consultant with a passion for in-depth analysis, strategic planning and evaluation, an eye for interdependence, participation and a focus on resolving challenges and bottlenecks in execution in a range of contexts.

Key qualifications: Health Policy, Planning & Financing; Primary Health Care, Tropical Medicine & Public Health; Management.
In-depth management experience with different models of bilateral and interagency cooperation: CSOs, IOs & delegated projects, budget support & technical assistance, audit, monitoring & evaluation.
Results-oriented: Highly skilled in context analysis, beyond the technical content of health interventions, for realistic and effective programme design. This includes the engagement of actors, inter-institutional and multi-sector collaboration and processes in the relief development nexus.
Specific health sector expertise: primary health care including the integration of vertical programs (e.g., TB, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and mother-and-child health), and evaluation of humanitarian projects.
Management and training of human resources, team player, team builder, and team leader of up to 30+ international and local staff.