Petra has over 25 years’ experience in the health and life sciences sector, ranging across academia, public sector, industry and the not-for-profit sector.

In 2016 she set up Health Connect Partners, a boutique consulting firm which provides advisory services on digital health to organisations in healthcare and life sciences. Health Connect Partners is also engaged in a number of EU funded research projects in the digital health sector, working in partnership with the Institute for Innovation through Health Data.

Petra’s career began in 1992 when after completing a PhD in Public Health Law, she worked for Nottingham University in research and teaching before being seconded to the European Commission where she was for 8 years in the digital health unit, supporting early work on Electronic Health Records and Connected Medical Devices. She then moved to the private sector, as a senior director in Cisco’s public health team, before moving to lead the International Diabetes Federation as its CEO. This latter experience developed her skills both in the subject matter of diabetes and in lobbying for the rights of diabetes patients at the highest levels of EU policy making.

The thread running through all her work is to harness the power of data and digital tools in health to drive more accessible, resilient and efficient health systems that can put patients in the driving seat of their care. This is the passion and engagement she brings to her work with a wide range of clients in the healthcare and life sciences sector to support them in understanding the implications of EU policy for their business and helping position them as core partners in EU health systems.

Petra also holds an advisor role with the digital health team at WHO Europe, and serves as an editorial Board Member of Data Saves Lives run by the European Patients Forum, and Member of the Digital Health Board Committee of EURODIS, the EU Rare Diseases Organisation.