Maria Francisco

Ms. Francisco is a health systems specialist with over 25 years of experience managing, designing and implementing global health initiatives and field-based health programs focused on improving local health systems performance and promoting greater investment in priority health programs. She has served in senior advisory, management or director roles for USAID (Washington and field Missions) and implementing organizations in a number of LMICs, especially in Sub Saharan Africa and SE Asia, and across a range of technical program areas including Child Survival and community health, HIV/AIDS, NTDs, rehabilitation and mental health, quality management, decentralization and sustainable financing.

As a Program Director for R4D, Ms. Francisco provides strategic guidance, technical analyses, program management and oversight to inform global technical leadership and strengthen field-based applications of health and HSS programming. She is currently the Sub Portfolio Director for Priority Programs and UHC, providing strategic direction to address integration, transition and sustainability of vertical programs, including technical oversight of R4D’s work in sustainable financing under USAID’s Acting to End NTDs | East program, to the Leahy War Victims Fund and Victims of Torture work under USAID’s Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator (HSSA) project, and as HSS and Equity lead to USAID’s flagship Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP).