Key skills and expertise.

Bringing over 39 years of experience in health and international development, this seasoned professional possesses key skills in team leadership, strategic planning, and health systems development. The project experience spans both local and international initiatives, with a focus on program formulation and performance management. Successfully leading high-performance teams, the expert has driven strategic initiatives to enhance productivity and quality standards. Career highlights include leading health systems strengthening efforts and improving healthcare delivery across multiple countries, demonstrating a strong track record in achieving ambitious goals in fast-paced environments.

Project experience and donor exposure.

Worked across diverse projects involving collaboration with international donors such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia, Danida, and BTC/Enabel. Involvement includes project implementation, technical assistance, and capacity building in health sector projects. These efforts have been executed on regional and national scales in countries like Somalia, Somaliland, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Nepal, Ghana, and Kenya. The focus has been on health systems strengthening, public health policy development, and the execution of essential health services, contributing to significant improvements in healthcare delivery and policy frameworks.

Sectors and geographic focus.

With a background in sectors including health, humanitarian aid, emergency response, and social development, the expert has held leadership roles such as Director of Health Systems and Senior Policy Adviser. Responsibilities have included program formulation, health systems development, and strategic planning. The interdisciplinary knowledge extends to public-private partnerships and policy development. The work spans regional and country-specific initiatives in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of cross-cutting issues in international health and development.

The geographic experience is extensive, covering Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, with work conducted in countries such as Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nepal, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Somaliland, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Uganda, and Ukraine. This deep familiarity with local governance and regional development issues is evidenced by long-term assignments and recurring involvement in health systems strengthening and policy development initiatives in these regions.

Languages and education.

The expert is a native Dutch speaker and is fluent in English, with a good command of French and a fair understanding of German. These language skills have been utilized in various international settings, including in-country work and collaboration with multilingual teams across diverse geographic locations.

The educational background includes a Medical Doctor degree in International Health & Tropical Medicine from the Registration Committee Medical Specialists (RGS) in the Netherlands. Additionally, the expert obtained a Medical Qualification Certificate and a Master of Science, Doctorandus Medicus in Medicine from the Catholic University Nijmegen (KUN) in the Netherlands. These qualifications underscore extensive expertise in the medical field, particularly in international health and tropical medicine.