Leadership
Raquel is a true champion for change. Renowned for her tireless efforts in patient advocacy, she has dedicated years to supporting organisations and initiatives across the globe that aim to create meaningful and lasting improvements in health.
Before founding her consultancy company (Clarion I) in 2018, she spent over 15 years advocating on behalf of people living with viral hepatitis. As a patient herself, she helped establish and eventually became the CEO of the World Hepatitis Alliance, an international network of organisations working in over 100 countries toward the goal of eliminating hepatitis by 2030. Raquel’s work in the field was integral to the adoption of three WHO resolutions, and the inclusion of hepatitis in the Sustainable Development Goals’ agenda. Raquel also started a global movement to unite the viral hepatitis community and was recognised as a change-maker by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Since founding Clarion I, her commitment has only deepened; she has supported impactful initiatives including working with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to lift up rare disease patient-led research networks, co-founding Women in Global Health, Lusophone community, launching a movement to promote experience exchange and the strengthening of liver cancer organisations, and guiding policy efforts which led to the WHO Resolution on Sepsis and the UN Resolution on Rare Diseases.
She’s also been the program chair of the International Experience Exchange with Patient Organisations since 2021, a global platform of engagement for the patient community and other healthcare stakeholders, to co-create and collaborate, and to be strong partners with an equal voice in the dialogue to transform the future of healthcare.
In 2025, Raquel was appointed board member of the Wilhelm Foundation, where she continues to bring her expertise and passion to the critical field of undiagnosed diseases, ultimately aiming to provide life-changing, timely answers for a community as large as 350m people worldwide.
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