Michele Rumsey

Michele's personal goal in her work as Director of Operations and Development at the WHO CC UTS is to improve population health within the South Pacific with leadership capacity building projects. In her time as Director Michele has overseen projects totaling AU$22 million dollars.

This work includes being the project leader for numerous World Health Organization, Western Pacific Region and South East Asian Region projects. Including: Minimum Data Set of HRH Workforce Domains and Indicators; in-country Ministry of Health HRH policy work; regional faculty development projects; and WHO and DFAT Australian Aid PNG Maternal Child Health Initiative, Educational Institutes Audits and Regulation. Other recent projects include: NCCARF Understanding the Pacific’s adaptive capacity to emergencies in the context of climate change; World Bank HRH country policy and research; and EU Mobility of Health Professionals research.

A core aspect of this work is building regional and global partnerships and facilitating numerous regional meetings including a WHO Summit for: Strategic Planning, Pandemic Preparedness, HRH, and Leadership within the Western Pacific Region. The WHO CC also carries out the role of Secretariat for the South Pacific Chief Nursing, Midwifery Officers Alliance (SPCNMOA), 14 countries in the South Pacific and 106 country Fellows. Recently the WHOCC was elected Global Secretariat for a network of 43 WHO health development collaborating centres.

Michele was recently awarded a human rights award for passion and dedication for her health work within the South Pacific.