María Luisa Escobar

María Luisa Escobar serves as an independent consultant specializing in health policy innovation and international development, bringing over 20 years of experience in health systems reform and policy. After earning her economics degree from Universidad Externado de Colombia and completing her master's and doctorate in economics, international development, and health from Rice University, she has established herself as a leading voice in health policy reform. Her career includes significant roles as senior health economist at the Inter-American Development Bank, director of policy and planning at Colombia's Ministry of Health and Social Protection, and manager of Health Systems Practice at the World Bank Institute. Through her research at the Brookings Institution and co-editorship of "From Few to Many: Ten Years of Health Insurance Expansion in Colombia," she has advanced understanding of health financing mechanisms while promoting universal health coverage across Latin America