Current research

Citizen Engagement in the Medicines Lifecycle: From Early Development to Everyday Use

Subproject 1: Mapping Best Practices

"Global Pathways: Best Practices in Citizen Engagement Across Pharmaceutical Policy"

Focus:
This subproject identifies and analyzes international examples of citizen engagement in pharmaceutical policy—from marketing authorization to post-market use. It aims to highlight transferable models and lessons learned. 

Subproject 2: Equity and Access

"Citizens and Access: Engaging the Public in Shaping Essential Medicines Policy"

Focus:
This subproject explores how citizen involvement influences access to essential medicines. It examines mechanisms such as priority setting, reimbursement decisions, public deliberations, and advocacy in low-, middle-, and high-income countries.

Subproject 3: Early-Stage Engagement

"Upstream Voices: Citizen Involvement in Early Pharmaceutical Innovation and R&D"

Focus:
This subproject investigates how and where citizens are involved in the early stages of pharmaceutical research and development—such as agenda-setting, ethical approvals, priority-setting for public funding, and participatory design of clinical trials.

Primary fields of research

• Research on citizen and youth engagement in pharmaceutical policy across the medicines lifecycle.

• Focus on equity, access, and public trust in the regulation, reimbursement, and use of medicines.

• Use of participatory and interdisciplinary methods bridging health policy, ethics, and social science.

• Aim to support inclusive, democratic, and transparent pharmaceutical decision-making.

Short presentation

I am a social scientist specializing in economics and a public health professional, currently serving as Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre on the Patient Perspective in Medicine Use. In 2013, I earned my PhD in Health Sciences from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. I also hold a Master’s degree in International Cooperation for Development from Complutense University, Madrid, and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Politics from Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.

Before entering academia, I worked for 10 years with the European Commission (EuropeAid) across South America, Africa, and Asia, as well as with the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe.

My current research focuses on citizen and youth engagement in pharmaceutical policy across the medicines lifecycle—from early research and development through regulatory decisions and real-world medicine use. I investigate how inclusive and participatory approaches can improve equity, access, and public trust in medicine regulation and health systems. Employing interdisciplinary and participatory methods that integrate health policy, ethics, and social sciences, my work aims to support more transparent, democratic, and accountable pharmaceutical governance that empowers patients and the public, especially underrepresented groups such as young citizens.

CV

PhD in Health Sciences (2013)

Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

European Master in Public Health, MPH (2008)

University of Copenhagen, Denmark and French School of Public Health, Rennes, France

Post-Graduate Studies in International Politics (2006)

Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium

Teaching

2025-2019

- Pharmaceutical Policy, Economics and Ethics course. Course responsible and teacher of the Ethics section. 

- Transparency and Trustworthiness in Drug Development - The ethics of Drug Regulation: Teacher

- Contemporary Social Pharmacy - an innovation-based course: Course responsible

Knowledge of languages

English, Danish, Spanish, French, Italian