Hector is a Guideline Methodologist at the Cross-cutting Global Initiatives/Nutrition and Food Safety department at the World Health Organization (WHO). He is also a Methods Editor for Cochrane’s Common Mental Disorders group (UK).
Hector holds a PhD in Public Health and Research Methods from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain), a Master’s degree in Public Health from New York University (USA) and a Chemistry and Biology degree from Rhode Island College (USA).
Before joining WHO, Hector worked for eight years at the Cochrane Collaboration as a Researcher at the Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre (Spain). In this capacity, he participated in methodological projects on systematic review and clinical guideline development and updating, with an emphasis on investigating strategies for incorporating patients’ values and preferences. These projects resulted in several scientific publications. Earlier in his career he worked in HIV prevention projects with the New York City Department of Health.
He is involved in Cochrane’s Living Evidence Network initiative as a steering group member and in several GRADE working groups. He is also vice-chair of the GIN (Guidelines International Network) updating guidelines working group. He has teaching experience and has directed master and doctoral thesis projects in the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Until recently, Hector worked as a Consultant for the WHO Regional Office for Europe providing technical support for an intercountry initiative on the integrated delivery of health and social services in long-term care. In this capacity, he completed a country assessment framework that was piloted in six countries, resulting in eight reports and two articles submitted for publication in biomedical journals.
Hector was recognised with GIN’s 2020 Najoua Mlika-Cabanne Innovation Award, which acknowledges contributions to innovation in the methodology, development, and/or implementation of clinical practice guidelines. He was awarded the 2019 Rhode Island College Alumni Awards: Faculty of Arts and Sciences Honor Roll and was acknowledged as an elected member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Delta Beta Chapter (New York University College of Public Health) also in 2019.