Head of the WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens & Special Representative and Officer in Charge of the WHO Country Office in Greece
Dr. João Breda, before moving to Greece, was posted in WHO Senior Positions in Copenhagen (Denmark) for seven years and Moscow (Russian Federation) for four years. The recently established Athens Centre of Excellence aims to improve the quality of care and patient safety at a country level and focus on reducing inequalities while promoting health innovation and leadership. He holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from Porto University. He has earned his master’s degree in Public Health from the Medical Sciences Faculty of the University Nova de Lisboa and an MBA from the European University in Barcelona.
Dr. Breda was also the recipient of the Gold Medal for outstanding services in the field of Health granted by the Portuguese Ministry of Health in 2018 and received twice (2018-19 and 2024) the DG Award of Excellence for the best team. He has also received more than 20 scientific and academic awards. Dr. Breda has published more than 300 original academic articles and reports, as well as more than 20 original books (including the best seller on infant nutrition in Portugal) and has more than 15,000 citations. He is also considered to be among the top 1% researchers on obesity, globally.
