This week Dr. Elvira will be speaking with Dr. Marilou Costello, an independent consultant and health care expert. Dr. Costello has extensive experience in planning, managing, and evaluating primary health care programs (particular emphasis in reproductive health/family planning, TB, HIV and Malaria). She has provided technical assistance to EU (Manila) in designing and evaluating projects on health policy development for MNCHN. Strong experience in evaluating public health programs and capacity building for the Global Fund (GF), USAID, UNFPA, ASEAN, UNICEF, and Asian Development Bank. Particular strength in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), Operations Research, health system strengthening, capacity building, GF Country coordinating mechanism (CCM) support and facilitation of MESST.
She Provided TA to the following Global Fund countries in developing M&E system for TB: Philippines, Armenia, Nepal, Solomon Islands and Laos PDR.. Assisted Asian Development Bank in developing the Philippine country response to the problem of HIV/AIDS among OFWs and IDUs. Participated in various international evaluation missions for the ASEAN Population Program, Pearl S Buck International, UNICEF and UNFPA 4 country Programme. Served as Country Director of the Philippine office of the Population Council (NY), and managed the FRONTIERS Operations Research project in reproductive Health in the Philippines for over 10 years. Twenty years of experience as professor and Chair of the Sociology and anthropology department of Xavier University and senior associate of the Research Institute for Mindanao Culture. Conducted numerous quantitative and ethnographic researches in support of national health financing policies, reproductive health programs in the country and other regional population policies in the autonomous region of Mindanao (ARMM), Philippines.
