HCWH Europe Team
Anja Leetz - Executive Director
Over the last 8 years Anja has built the European team and set up an office in Brussels, focusing on both EU policy development as well as implementation at national, regional, and local levels. Under Anja’s leadership the climate and health work started in 2009, and Anja co-created the Global Climate & Health Alliance a coalition of heath organisations advocating for climate solutions in healthcare. In 2011 the Global Green and Healthy Hospital project was created and in 2015 the 2020 Healthcare Climate Challenge was launched.
Prior to becoming the Executive Director of Health Care Without Harm Europe, Anja Leetz worked for more than ten years with environmental organisations such as Friends of the Earth and the European Environmental Bureau in the United Kingdom and Belgium. Anja holds a degree in teaching and in Photography and has a qualification of Foundation Manager at the European Business School in Germany. Anja focuses on growing HCWH’s European network in order to better implement sustainable healthcare systems across Europe. As an avid networker and communicator, Anja is working with the WHO, UNDP, UNEP and partners on procurement, green healthcare, mercury elimination and other issues. Anja advises the HPH network in their environmental taskforce and the UN informal Interagency Task Team on Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector and is on the advisory council for the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre.
Grazia Cioci - Deputy Director
Previous to joining HCWH Europe as the Policy and Development Director, Grazia was Director of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. Grazia has also carried out policy and advocacy work on waste and chemicals at the international and European levels for the Ship recycling Platform and the Pesticide Action Network and coordinated a public awareness campaign on REACH for the European Environmental Bureau. Before she came to Brussels, Grazia was Senior Researcher for a leading UK consultancy indeveloping and promoting green technologies as well as a Visiting Fellow at the Centre of International Studies of the University of Cambridge, UK, where she contributed to the establishment of a programme on environmental policy and politics for graduate students. Grazia holds a Master of Science in Economics and a Master of Arts in Environmental Policy and Politics.
Timothy Eden - Development & Membership Officer
Tim Eden has worked for over 8 years in the sectors of health and the environment. Prior to moving to Brussels in 2015, he worked in a Washington, D.C. based non-profit organising conferences, events, international trainings, and managing institutional partnerships. Tim has worked with Pesticide Action Network Europe and has a particular understanding of issues relating to food, agriculture, and human health. He holds a Masters in Social Work from Tulane University and speaks English (natively), French, and Italian.
Edward Bennett - Finance & Admin Officer
Edward studied Business Management with Finance at the University of Brighton (UK) and wrote his final year thesis on Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility. He previously worked for six years in several international companies within the financial industry and travelled widely, learning about the rich multicultural differences and diverse ways of living. Edward has developed an acute interest in using his financial and management skills to support and promote activities focussed on key health and environmental issues on a global scale, and relishes the opportunity to further develop these at HCWH Europe.
Aidan Long - Press & Communications Manager
Before joining HCWH Europe as Communication & Information Officer, Aidan worked in the non-profit media sector in Ireland for many years. He has managed two non-profit community radio stations and has also been involved in the areas of training, marketing and advocacy for the sector at a national level. Aidan has a BA in Media & Communications from the University of Limerick, Ireland and a particular interest in radio and video production, skills that he hopes to use in developing HCWH Europe’s communications.
Lloyd H.D. Evans - Communications Officer
Before joining HCWH Europe, Lloyd studied at City University London, completing a Masters degree in Broadcast Journalism. He also holds a Bmus in music, has worked on community radio and been involved in live multimedia event management. With an interest in online media, he hopes to contribute to HCWH's communications using the video & audio production skills and journalistic techniques learnt during his studies.
Philippe Vandendaele - Chemicals Policy Advisor
Philippe has over a decade of professional experience in the domain of EU public and regulatory affairs. When Associate Director with Ernst & Young, his focus was on internal market issues, mainly the financial services sectors. He has also worked on international trade issues, such as Managing Director Trade Policy with FTA. Philippe is a Belgian national who, having obtained a degree from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), went on to study at UCD (Ireland), UCPM (Maryland, US). He later obtained his LLB from University of London (UK).
Adela Maghear - Pharmaceuticals Policy Officer
Adela is a pharmacy studies graduate and holds PhD degrees in Medical Sciences (field of Pharmacy) and in Chemistry. Her PhD thesis was a a four year project, in joint supervision between "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Romania) and University of Lorraine (France) and dealt with the subject of environmental safety. Adela previously worked as a researcher and assistant lecturer at a university in Romania for several years. Her career in the field of health policies started with a traineeship at the European Parliament Research Service in Brussels. She recently become a member of the European Health Parliament, Antimicrobial Resistance Committee, and hopes to bring her skills and expertise in the fields of health and environment to HCWH Europe.
Ana-Christina Gaeta - Climate & Resources Policy Officer
Ana-Christina studied Anthropology at University of British Columbia and received her masters in International Development, focusing on the Geopolitics of Climate Change from the University of Amsterdam. Prior to working with HCWH, Ana participated in a number of projects where she gained extensive research, and field-work experience. Ana-Christina profoundly believes in the inextricable relationship between human, social and environmental well being, and seeks to strengthen this relationship through her work at HCWH.
Paola Hernández - Food Project Officer
Before joining HCWH Europe as Intern at the Sustainable and Healthy Food Programme, Paola completed training programmes at the Alícia Foundation in Barcelona and the Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS) in Zaragoza. She holds a Bachelor in Food Science and Technology and is currently studying for a Master in Public Health. She is especially interested in the link between health, the environment and food, and also in policy advocacy and transforming behaviour change. Paola hopes to develop her knowledge in this area and bring her experience in the area of sustainable and healthy food to HCWH Europe.
