DWPS 2025 Miguel Arriaga

With a Ph.D. in Psychology, he is currently Director of the Department for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health (DGS). He lectures at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Beira Interior and at the Catholic University of Portugal.

He coordinated the DGS Action Plan for Health Literacy (2019–2021 and 2023–2030) and was part of the Portuguese COVID-19 Task Forces, including the Behavioral Sciences group addressing the pandemic context. He serves as the health focal point at the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) and represents the health sector in its COVID-19 Subcommittee.

Since 2016, he has been Portugal’s representative on the Expert Group on the Economics of Public Health at the OECD. He also coordinates the WHO European Action Network on Health Literacy for the Prevention and Control of NCDs and acts as national focal point for the WHO Europe Behavioural and Cultural Insights Unit.

He sits on several national health councils and committees and is also an active researcher with numerous scientific publications. In 2018, he received the Public Health Award Dr. Francisco George, granted by the Portuguese Ministry of Health.