Rocio is a qualified Pharmacist with an MSc Humanitarian Health Programme Management from LSTM and extensive professional experience in the United Kingdom (UK) and developing countries. With more than 15 years of experience as a Pharmacist, Manager and Consultant, she has built a solid foundation in the clinical and managerial aspects of pharmacy, health systems and supply chains. Her specialisms include pharmaceutical supply systems, working with Ministries of Health, donors and implementing partners, as well as implementation at all levels from national to community settings.
Rocio has developed her unique skillset working in challenging environments with limited resources, such as South Sudan, Afghanistan, Mozambique and Algeria. With experience in the design and implementation of training initiatives in collaboration with Ministries of Health, she has built the technical capabilities and professionalism of pharmacy students, pharmacy technicians, qualified pharmacists, and health practitioners.
Rocio joins Roberts’s group under the STRESST project (Antimicrobial Stewardship in Hospitals, Resistance Selection and Transfer in a One Health Context) .
Previously she has worked with the CNTD team as a consultant on programmes in Mozambique and Zambia, as well as a Programme Manager primarily working on UK aid’s flagship NTD programme – Accelerating the Sustainable Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (Ascend). Under Ascend, she managed a specialised team and was responsible for coordinating and implementing the strategy for supply chain capacity building across thirteen countries in West and Central Africa. Rocio and her team successfully led the design and development of an online course for NTD supply chain management, available on the OpenWHO platform.