Téa Collins, Head of R&P Unit and Senior Health Systems Specialist
Dr Téa Collins is the head of the Research & Programme Unit and a Senior Health Systems Specialist at the Global Forum for Health Research in Geneva, Switzerland. A national of Georgia, she started her career as a physician, working as a pediatrician in Georgia and Russia. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Téa joined the team of reformers in Georgia and served as advisor to the Ministry of Health, coordinating teams of experts developing new health financing mechanisms and social insurance. Following her time with the government she worked as Technical Assistance Coordinator for the $20 million World Bank Health Reform Project.
Téa has served the non-government sector as well. As Regional Health Coordinator for Save the Children in the Caucasus, she supervised USAID-funded programs in primary health care and health education. From her base in Tbilisi, Georgia she also coordinated the organization’s efforts with the Ministry of Health, the World Bank, UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO, as well as local NGOs and PVOs.
Prior to coming to the Global Forum, Téa worked extensively in the United States. At The George Washington University in Washington, DC she developed and taught graduate-level courses on Health Systems in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, the Global Delivery of Health Services and other courses in international health. Her research and publications have covered topics such as health policy analysis, health reform, health finance, and evaluation of health systems performance. While at GWU she also consulted with organizations such as John Snow, Inc., the US Department of Health and Human Services and the National Council on Hispanic Aging.
Dr Collins received her medical degree from the Georgia State Medical University. She also holds a Doctor of Public Health degree from The George Washington University and two Masters degrees: a Master of Public Health in International Health from Boston University, where she studied on a World Bank fellowship, and a Master of Public Administration degree in Public Policy and Management from the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University. Téa was a Presidential Scholar and Public Service Fellow at Harvard.
