Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat
MD, MSc(Public Health), MSc(Health Services Management), FFPH (UK), DLSHTM (Lond.)
Dr Azzopardi Muscat qualified as a medical doctor in Malta in 1995. She studied public
health and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health in the UK. She also graduated in
Health Services Management at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1998.
Since 1999 she has been a lecturer at the University of Malta. She is currently finalising her
PhD at Maastricht University where her main research interest is Europeanisation of health
systems with a particular focus on smaller Member States. She has authored several
publications on the topic.
She also works as a Consultant in Public Health Medicine at the Directorate for Health
Information and Research in Malta. Between 2001 and 2013 she occupied various senior
level positions in the Ministry of Health in Malta including Director for European and
International Affairs and Chief Medical Officer.
Besides her public health practice, teaching and research activities, Dr Azzopardi-Muscat is
a vocal advocate for health in Malta and Europe. She was a founding member and President
of the Malta Association of Public Health Medicine. Between 2006 and 2014 she was
President of the section on Public Health Practice and Policy for the European Public Health
Association (EUPHA). Last November she was elected President-Elect of EUPHA and will
commence her mandate as EUPHA President in November 2016.
Publications
Papers Published in Peer-Reviewed Journals
Azzopardi Muscat N, Clemens T, Stoner D, Brand Helmut. EU Country Specific
Recommendations for Health Systems in the European Semester process: Trends, Discourse
and Predictors. Health Policy 2015; 119(3)
Saliba V, Azzopardi-Muscat N, Vella M, Montalto SA, Fenech C, McKee M, et al. Clinicians’,
policy makers’ and patients’ views of pediatric cross-border care between Malta and the UK.
Journal of Health Services Research & Policy 2014 July 01;19(3):153-160.
Hansen J, Azzopardi Muscat N, Keskimaki I, Lindahl A, Pfaff H, Wismar M, et al.
Measuring and Improving the Societal Impact of Health Care Research. Eurohealth
2013;19(3):32-33,34,35.
Deguara L, Azzopardi Muscat N. Malta, the European Union and the Medical Profession: II
The EU accession process How EU membership will influence the Maltese Medical
Profession. Malta Medical Journal 2002;14(1):9-11.
Authored Books
Azzopardi Muscat N, Calleja N, Calleja A, Cylus J. Health Systems in Transition Malta.
Health 2014;16(1).
Abela A.M, Cordina G, Azzopardi Muscat N. Social protection in the candidate countries:
country studies Cyprus, Malta, Turkey: Country Report Malta. : IOS Press; 2003.
Azzopardi Muscat N, Dixon Anna. Health Care Systems in Transition: Malta. WHO
Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen 1999.
Book Chapters
Lazzari A, de Waure C, Azzopardi-Muscat N. Health in All Policies. A Systematic Review of
Key Issues in Public Health: Springer; 2015. p. 277-286.
Azzopardi Muscat N, Grech K. Chapter 5. Malta. In: Bernd R, Dubois CA, McKee M, editors.
The Health Care Workforce in Europe: Learning from Experience; 2006. p. 59-70.
Azzopardi Muscat N, Grech K, Cachia JM, Xuereb D. Sharing capacities–Malta and the
United Kingdom. In: Rosenmoller M, McKee M, Baeten R, editors. Patient Mobility in the
European
Union
Learning from Experience Copenhagen: World Health Organization 2006, on behalf of the
Europe 4 Patients project and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies;
2006. p. 119.
Commentaries and Editorials
Azzopardi Muscat N. European-added value for public health. European journal of public
health 2015;25(1):1.
Azzopardi Muscat N, Brand H. Ten years on: time for a public health celebration or sober
reflection? European Journal of Public Health 2014 June 01;24(3):351-352.
Azzopardi Muscat N. EU cross-border health care and public health. European journal of
public health 2010 Apr;20(2):128-129.
Peer Reviewed Conference Proceedings
Azzopardi-Muscat N. The Maltese health system: leader or laggard in Europe? National
Symposium of Health Sciences Malta Journal of Health Sciences; 23 April 2014; Malta:
University of Malta; 2014.
Azzopardi-Muscat N, Brand H. The ‘European Semester’–a growing force shaping Health
Systems Policy and Reform in the European Union. The European Journal of Public Health
2014;24(suppl 2):cku164. 089.
Cylus J.D, Azzopardi-Muscat N, Malta and Cyprus: What can they learn from each other
and what lessons emerge for health system reformers? : Oxford Univ Press; 2014.
Azzopardi-Muscat N. European Union Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds: A
mechanism for Europeanisation of Health Systems? Eur J Public Health 2014;24(suppl
2):cku165. 022.
Azzopardi-Muscat N, Funk T, Buttigieg S, Grech K, Brand H. Challenges and policy
concerns for health systems in small European states. : Oxford Univ Press; 2014.
Borg A.M, Azzopardi-Muscat N. Re-thinking the European Added Value of the European
Union Patients’ Rights Directive: Oxford Univ Press; 2013.
Borg A.M, Azzopardi-Muscat N. Opportunities and challenges of cross-border health care:
voices of Maltese thyroid cancer patients: Oxford Univ Press; 2013.
Azzopardi-Muscat N, Dalmas M, Brand H. Can small countries keep up in the cross border
game? The European Journal of Public Health CLARENDON ST, OXFORD OX2 6DP,
ENGLAND; 2012.
Azzopardi Muscat N. The effects of European policy developments on health services for
small Member States and remote communities. The European Journal of Public Health
CLARENDON ST, OXFORD OX2 6DP, ENGLAND; 2007.
Azzopardi Muscat N. Harmonisation of public health practices as part of the accession
process to the European Union: a country case study – Malta. 11th Annual EUPHA Meeting
Rome; November 2003.
Reviewer of peer-reviewed journals





European Journal of Public Health
Health Policy
South Eastern European Journal of Public Health
Malta Medical Journal
Xjenza
International Recognition



Associate Editor for the European Journal of Public Health
Board Member on the Association for Public Health European Accreditation
President-Elect European Public Health Association