Vera Coelho is a social scientist and expert on policy analysis and public policy evaluation. She is a senior researcher at CEBRAP where she coordinates the Citizenship, Health and Development Group. She has a PhD in State and Public Policies from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). She was a visiting fellow at the Hauser Center, Kennedy School, Harvard University, USA; the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University, UK; Torcuato di Tella University, Argentina; and the Social and Economic Studies Center of Uruguay (CIESU). At CEBRAP she trains and co-supervises MA and PhD students. She works with both qualitative and quantitative research methods and has extensive experience in evaluating policies and coordinating research projects at the local, national and international level (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, India, Bangladesh, South Africa, Mozambique, Nigeria, Kenya). She has led various comparative studies in the areas of pension reform, health systems and citizen involvement supported by the São Paulo and the Brazilian National Research Councils (FAPESP, CNPq), UK Department for International Development (DFID), International Development Research Centre (IDRC/Canada), Institute of Development Studies (IDS/Sussex University) and the Rockefeller and the Hewlett Foundations. Among the institutions she has consulted for are the Brazilian Health Ministry, the São Paulo Municipal Health Secretary and the Ford Foundation. The results of these studies have been presented and published nationally and internationally.