What does Australia’s global health ambassador do?
For Lucas de Toca, appointed to the position last November, it is one of many hats he wears. He is also the head of the global health division at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. But it’s the ambassador job that makes him, at just 36 years old, the face of Australia’s global health policy.
Aside from administration and strategic policy, he says his job is to represent Australia’s interest in global health — from the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to the World Health Organization. That means advising on Australia’s bilateral health investments overseas as well as offering technical assistance to partner governments.