Ellen 't Hoen is the coordinator of the Globalisation Project of the Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines of Médecins Sans Frontières.

In 1981 she was one of the co-founders of DES Action the Netherlands where she worked as a coordinator until 1990. From 1990 until 1996 she was a project coordinator at the European office of the consumer network Health Action International. From 1996 until 1999 she was the coordinator of the International Society of Drug Bulletins (ISDB) and consultant to the editorial board of the independent French pharmaceutical journal La revue Prescrire and Prescrire International.

She worked as a drug policy consultant for a number of institutions, including the World Health Organization.

She graduated from Social Work Academy and has a Master's Degree in Law from the University of Amsterdam.