Marilyn McDonagh has over 25 years’ international development experience focusing on improving health systems to deliver essential health services to poor women and children in a range of countries and circumstances, including fragile states. Marilyn has worked with national governments, DFID, the UN and Save the Children Fund. She has in-depth knowledge of global health policy, health architecture, aid instruments and is experienced at working with development partners to support improving institutional arrangements to deliver a harmonised response to the delivery of health programmes and health services for poor women and children.

Before joining Options, Marilyn was a Health Adviser for DFID for over 10 years. Marilyn is providing technical advice to the DFID-funded programme of support to the Government of Nigeria, to reverse the HIV epidemic and mitigate the impact of AIDS.