School of Public Health

Dr. Josep Figueras Joins SPH International Public Health Diplomacy Advisory Group

Monday, 09 March 2026

Dr. Figueras is the Director Emeritus of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and currently serves as Ambassador for the European Health Union Fellowships program. He was the founding director of the Observatory and, in addition to his work with the World Health Organization, has served major multilateral organizations such as the European Commission and the World Bank. He has served as a policy advisor in over forty countries across the European region and beyond.

Josep is a member of several governance, advisory, and editorial boards, including the Governing Board of the European Health Forum Gastein. His research focuses on health systems and policy, including comparative health systems, performance assessment, public health policy, and knowledge translation. 

He is an Honorary Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health and has received numerous awards, including the Edward Kennedy Health Policy Award from Trinity College, the Spanish Ministry of Health Award, the European Health Forum Gastein Star, the Andrija Stampar Medal for Excellence in Public Health, and a Doctorate Honoris Causa from Semmelweis University. 

Currently, he is a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and the NOVA National School of Public Health in Lisbon. He previously directed the MSc in Health Services Management and lectured at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. 

He obtained his PhD in health policy and financing from the University of London (LSE/LSHTM) and began his career as a specialist in Family and Community Medicine in Spain.