Many health and research organizations face a familiar challenge: strong ideas and ambitious goals, but with operational systems that struggle to keep pace.
I work with institutional leaders to strengthen the structures that make complex initiatives succeed by:
Restructuring research administration or research enterprise operations
Launching or scaling complex health initiatives
Strengthening governance across multi-institution partnerships
Designing and leading program management units for multi-partner initiatives
Supporting leadership teams through growth, transition, or restructuring
Preparing institutions for responsible AI adoption
Raquel Sanchez, MBA, DrGH
Turning Strategy into Action in Complex Organizations
Raquel Sanchez is a global health strategist and research administration leader with more than 25 years of experience guiding complex health and research initiatives. Based in Seattle, she works remotely with clients across the U.S. and internationally.
She has held senior roles at Fred Hutch and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, leading research operations, research administration, and a cross-continental oncology partnership in Uganda. At Fred Hutch, she co-built translational research infrastructure across Fred Hutch, the University of Washington, and Seattle Children’s. That work helped move the Fred Hutch/UW cancer consortium to #7 nationally.
Her advisory work spans the Gates Foundation, Gates Ventures, and UNFPA, supporting global health programs across more than 25 countries, with a focus on strategy, governance design, partnership coordination, and operational transformation.
Her work is hands-on, collaborative, and focused on results that last.
CONNECT WITH HER CAPABILITY STATEMENT (PDF)
Selected Results
Outcomes from work across academic medicine, philanthropy, and global health
Organizations I Have Worked With
Across Health, Research, and Philanthropy
My Areas of Expertise
I offer focused services designed to strengthen strategy, operations, and leadership in complex health and research environments.
Engagements typically involve close collaboration with executive leadership, program teams, and institutional partners to develop practical strategies that organizations can implement and sustain. The result is work that strengthens both strategy and the systems that support it.
FRACTIONAL EXECUTIVE SUPPORT
Senior operational leadership on a part-time or interim basis for organizations navigating growth, transition, or complexity, without the commitment of a full-time hire.
ExploreSIGNATURE CONSULTING SERVICES
Short- and long-term engagements to address research, health, and governance roadblocks. Change rarely follows a straight line, so I stay alongside teams through implementation, using learning cycles and partner feedback to adapt strategies, tools, and operations as conditions evolve.
ExploreResearch Enterprise Strategy and Administration
I support academic medical centers and research institutions in strengthening the operational systems that support large research portfolios. This includes research administration models, grant lifecycle processes, governance structures, and cross-institutional coordination.
The goal is to build research systems that enable scientific discovery while maintaining strong compliance, efficiency, and collaboration.
Global Health Program Strategy and Implementation
Global health initiatives often involve multiple institutions, countries, and funding partners. I work with organizations to translate strategy into operational plans that align stakeholders and strengthen implementation.
This includes program design, partnership coordination, governance structures, and operational frameworks that support sustained health impact.
Governance and Institutional Partnerships
Complex health initiatives depend on strong governance and trusted partnerships. I advise organizations on designing partnership structures that balance accountability, shared leadership, and strategic alignment.
My work focuses on helping institutions navigate the realities of multi-stakeholder environments across philanthropy, academia, and international health systems.
ADVISORY SERVICE
Program Management Unit Design and Leadership
Large, multi-partner initiatives succeed or stall on execution. I design and lead program management units that give leadership a clear view of progress and a reliable way to make decisions.
This includes governance and decision forums, milestone and risk tracking, working-group coordination, implementing partner oversight, and executive reporting.
AI Readiness for Health and Research Organizations
Many institutions feel pressure to adopt AI before their operations, data, and governance are ready. I help leadership teams assess where they stand and build a practical path forward.
This includes reviewing operational workflows, data practices, and governance; identifying where AI can responsibly reduce administrative burden; and putting in place the policies and oversight that keep adoption safe, compliant, and aligned with mission.
Interim and Fractional Executive Leadership
I provide fractional executive support for global health and research organizations navigating growth, transition, or complexity. This model offers senior-level leadership without the commitment of a full-time hire and is designed to stabilize operations, strengthen systems, and support implementation during critical moments.
TYPICAL ROLES
- Fractional Executive Director
- Fractional VP of Operations
- Fractional Chief of Staff
- Managing Director
TYPICAL FOCUS AREAS
- Oversight of strategy-to-implementation efforts
- Strengthening operational systems and workflows
- Supporting senior leadership decision-making
- Improving governance, role clarity, and accountability
- Leading cross-functional or multi-partner initiatives
- Supporting leadership transitions or organizational restructuring
Organizations gain steady leadership, more precise execution, and stronger systems during periods where focus and experience matter most.
LET’S CONNECTWho I Work With
My work focuses on institutions operating in complex health and research environments
Academic Medical Centers and Research Institutes
Supporting leadership teams strengthening research enterprise operations, research administration models, and cross-institutional coordination.
Philanthropic Foundations and Global Health Initiatives
Advising on program strategy, governance structures, and partnerships across large multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Global Health and International Development Organizations
Helping organizations align strategy, partnerships, and operational systems to support large-scale health programs.
Health System and Institutional Leadership Teams
Providing strategic and operational support during periods of transformation, program expansion, or organizational change.
Typical Engagements
Institutions often reach out during moments when strategy, operations, and partnerships must be aligned to support complex health and research initiatives.
Strengthening Research Enterprise Operations
Advising academic medical centers and research institutions seeking to modernize research administration models, improve coordination across units, or align governance with growing research portfolios.
Aligning Strategy and Operations During Institutional Growth
Working with leadership teams during periods of expansion, organizational restructuring, or program transformation to ensure operational systems support long-term strategy.
Strengthening Governance in Multi-Institution Collaborations
Helping institutions design decision structures, partnership agreements, and accountability mechanisms for complex multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Supporting Leadership Teams During Transition
Providing interim or advisory leadership during moments when institutions are launching new initiatives, restructuring programs, or navigating strategic change.
Designing and Scaling Global Health Initiatives
Supporting foundations and global health organizations in translating strategic goals into operational programs, partnerships, and implementation frameworks.
Preparing Institutions for Responsible AI Adoption
Assessing operational, data, and governance readiness so leadership teams can adopt AI where it adds value, with the safeguards that keep it compliant and aligned with mission.
Insights
Short observations on global health systems, research enterprises, and institutional strategy.
What a Program Management Unit Actually Does, and When You Need One
Large health initiatives rarely fail for lack of ambition. They stall between the strategy and the partners who must deliver it. A program management unit exists to close that gap.
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Academic medicine is undergoing one of the most significant organizational shifts in decades. The traditional research administration model, long centered on grant compliance, finance, and institutional oversight, is turning into[…]
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The Hidden Governance Challenge in Global Health Partnerships
Governance rarely captures headlines, yet it determines whether global health partnerships succeed or struggle. Behind every collaboration, from sanitation programs to vaccine delivery networks, lies a governance structure that shapes[…]
Read moreStart a Conversation
If your organization is navigating a complex health or research initiative, I welcome the opportunity to explore how I might support your team.