Natasha is an international health expert and a passionate tobacco-control advocate for more than 18 years. She is the former head of Healthy Initiatives, an important and impactful grantee of Global Action in Eastern Europe, and former Senior Advisor on Ukraine-related initiatives at Northwell Health.
As a former WHO program director, Natasha has worked and lived in three countries, being responsible for 53 countries of the WHO European region, proactively promoting and supporting public health at national and international levels. Before then, as a Campaign For Tobacco Free Kids’ Advocacy Director for Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Natasha successfully advocated for the development and adoption of strong tobacco control legislation in Ukraine and the Region. Natasha also served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the international humanitarian aid organization Ukraine Focus, where she led operational efforts to address the urgent health needs of Ukrainians impacted by the ongoing war. In the summers of 2008 and 2009, she taught health policy maker advocacy at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health during a summer leadership program for international students.
Natasha holds masters degrees in political science and a foreign language from the University of Political Science, National Academy of Science of Ukraine and Zaporizhzhya State University, respectively. She completed a summer school leadership program in 2008 on tobacco control at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She is fluent in Ukranian, Russian, and English, and is semi-fluent in German.
