From passive recipients to empowered partners
Darina Sedláková graduated from Medical Faculty Comenius University (CU), Bratislava and completed specialization study in internal medicine in 1988. She graduated from postgraduate Institute of International Relations at Faculty of Law CU and in 2003 she gained degree MPH at School of Public Health
In 1994-2000 she was Deputy Director of the Council of Europe Information Office in Slovakia focusing on implementation of health and socioeconomic programmes with special focus on vulnerable groups. From 2000 to 2020 she worked at the World Health Organization as Head of the WHO Country Office in Slovakia and two years in Slovenia. She has certificates from international trainings and courses in public health, health systems and policies, global health diplomacy. She has participated as expert and consultant to many international and EU-funded projects on health promotion and disease prevention, but also supporting processes aimed at improving health systems and health outcomes.
On behalf of patients, she sits in several ministerial committees and working groups dealing with various aspects of health and social care, protection of patient rights and further strengthening of patient engagement in health policy making and enforcement of its implementation.