Simona Guagliardo joined the EPC Social Europe and Well-being Programme in September 2017. She works on EU social policies, in particular, health and care policies. She has written on the digitalisation of health and care in the context of the EU Digital Single Market and on integrated care. She researches cooperation in health, the impact of digitalisation on the health workforce and the sustainability of EU health systems. Simona has also experience in communication and public affairs at EU level having worked with Burson-Marsteller Brussels in its Health and Food practices and was a Robert Schuman graduate trainee at the European Parliament, DG for Parliamentary Research Services.

Prior to moving to Brussels, she worked as a health management consultant in a private hospital in Italy where she was involved in the analysis of the cost-effectiveness and appropriateness of health care delivery and in the implementation of the electronic health record system.

Simona has an academic background in health management and public policies and has conducted research on the process of integration between hospital and territory services within the health system of the Sicilian region in Italy. She also holds a Master of Science in European politics and policies from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, and a postgraduate diploma in diplomatic studies from the Italian Society for International Organisation (S.I.O.I.), Rome.