Economics, Finance and Accounting Department

Bringing a decade of expertise in health system governance and financing, Dr. Nikka Hao commenced her career in PhilHealth’s Primary Care Benefit Team. Transitioning to the Department of Health in 2015, she has become part of different DOH offices including the Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau, Field Implementation and Management Cluster, and Health Facilities Infrastructure Development Team.

In 2020, Dr. Hao became Deputy to the COVID-19 Surveillance and Quick Action Unit, implementing the national platform for COVID-19 real-time data that enabled evidence-based multisectoral action. In 2022, as Director of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, she elevated evidence-driven policy making to bring accessible primary care to every Filipino at all life stages (child, adolescent, adult, elderly). She also led the office in developing its medium term strategic plans for priority national preventive health programs such as immunization, reproductive health, TB, HIV, neglected tropical disease, cancer, and mental health.

Currently as Regional Director of the Cagayan Valley Center for Health Development, she is guided by the mission to build robust local health systems, ensure equitable distribution of healthcare access for primary and specialty care, and ensure efficient and effective operations of all DOH hospitals and public health programs across Region 2.

Dr. Hao is an Atlantic Fellow for Global Health Equity under the George Washington University and Atlantic Institute, and holds an MSc in Health Policy, Planning, and Financing from the London School of Economics and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, an MD-MBA from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, and a BS in Psychology from the University of the Philippines Diliman.