Praveena Gunaratnam (She / Her)

I am a public health leader with 24 years’ experience in Australia, the Asia Pacific region and at the global level. My greatest passion and strength (I think!) is generating and using high quality data to improve health systems and health outcomes, with focus on the most marginalised. My multidisciplinary background (epidemiology, evaluation, and policy analysis) uniquely enables me to bridge perspectives in designing whole-of-system approaches to complex health issues. These skills are complemented by experience influencing and consensus building for health systems improvements in and with diverse organizations, including governments, NGOs, donors, the UN and academia. Underpinning everything I do is a fierce belief in equity and social justice. This shaped by my own experience as a first-generation migrant, as a human rights activist, and by an understanding that achieving health for all requires (often uncomfortable) reflection and change at the systems and structural levels. I am proud to have coached and mentored many people from different cultural, linguistic and educational backgrounds in applying data and systems thinking to solve challenges in their countries and communities. I’m open to opportunities where such collaboration is a large component, and to continuing to contribute my skills and experience to locally-led development as best I can.