Raluca Sîmbotin is a seasoned public affairs and health policy professional with over 14 years of experience across the public and private sectors, working at the intersection of healthcare policy, civic engagement, and public trust. Her expertise spans the EUCAN region (40 countries), with in-depth knowledge of healthcare systems, regulatory frameworks, and the political and economic dynamics shaping access to care in Romania, Moldova, and Kosovo.

She currently serves as Associate Director of Policy & Government Relations at MSD, where she leads the Policy team for Romania and Moldova. In this role, she develops and implements public policy strategies aimed at strengthening health systems and expanding patient access to innovative treatments.

Beyond her professional responsibilities, Raluca has a strong record of civic and social engagement. She has contributed to major public-interest reforms, including legislative changes towards improving access to innovative medicines; the approval of Romania’s National Cancer Control Plan, with a focus on patient journey optimization; and the expansion of HPV vaccine reimbursement, resulting in one of the broadest access programs in Europe.

She is actively involved in policy dialogue platforms, contributing to initiatives of the American Romanian Business Council (AMRO) and serving as Deputy Chair of the Healthcare Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), where she has led multi-stakeholder working groups on priority healthcare reforms.

Earlier in her career, Raluca served as Advisor to the Minister for Public Consultation and Civic Dialogue, contributing to legislative initiatives on transparency, public participation, and access to information. She also worked as Advocacy Manager at the Civil Society Development Foundation, Romania’s leading NGO resource center, where she supported policies aimed at strengthening civic participation and democratic governance.

Raluca is an Aspen Young Leader and a member of the Aspen Society of Fellows & Alumni in Romania. In this capacity, she co-organized the first edition of The Good Society Festival in Romania, bringing health literacy into the national civic conversation. She is also a former Vice-Curator of the Global Shapers Bucharest Hub (a World Economic Forum initiative) and an alumna of the Rule of Law Program of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

She holds a B.A. in Law from the University of Bucharest and an M.A. in International Relations and European Integration from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies in Bucharest, and is a graduate of Duke University’s Executive Program in Business Leadership.

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