Alliance Secretariat

The Alliance Secretariat is hosted and administered by the World Health Organization in Geneva and carries out the day-to-day implementation of the Alliance work plan, as determined by the Board.

Secretariat staff

Executive Director

Dr Kumanan RASANATHAN

Executive Director

Dr Rasanathan is a public health physician with a strong background in health policy and systems research and extensive experience working at different levels of the World Health Organization and within the wider UN system.

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Secretariat staff

Dr Giulia LOFFREDA

Scientist

Biography

Giulia is a health policy and systems researcher whose work centres on strengthening primary health care and advancing equitable health systems, particularly in the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. Her expertise lies in bridging evidence and policy, with a focus on complexity, political economy, and the contextualization of NCD policy frameworks. 

She holds a PhD in Global Health with a focus on noncommunicable disease policy, a master’s degree in Pharmacy and a master's degree in Public Health Research.

At WHO, Giulia has contributed to the work of the Alliance and of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, supporting implementation research to improve NCD policy and service delivery. Previously, she held research positions at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, and the University of Cambridge, contributing to policy-relevant health systems research.

Her work is grounded in systems thinking and embedded implementation research, with an emphasis on collaboration between researchers and decision-makers to enable context-sensitive, evidence-informed change.