Cristina is a senior research fellow in the Maternal Health Systems, Policy and Implementation Research Group at the Department of Women & Children’s Health at the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King's. Her background is in nursing, midwifery and public health with +18 years of clinical, academic and research experience in both high and low income countries. She is a PRINCE2 practitioner and hold a Diploma in Tropical Medicine, a MPH and a PhD in Public Health.

Cristina has  led and contributed to clinical and applied health research in relation to tropical and infectious diseases, complex interventions in maternal, child and adolescent health, and implementation research with a focus to address global health challenges and inequities. She is one of the co-founders of the UK Chagas Hub, a network to tackle Chagas disease among the Latin American community in the UK. She also teaches in the School, supervises MSc and PhD students, and participates in national/international funding committees and advisory groups, such as the WHO HRP STAG.

Her main interests include research capacity exchange in global health, hybrid trials, implementation and policy, particularly within the area of maternal, child and adolescent health.