Praveena Gunaratnam

I am a public health specialist with 20 years’ experience in Australia, the Asia Pacific region and at the global level, passionate about generating and using high quality data to improve health systems and health outcomes particularly for those with the most need but least access to services. I have expertise and experience in multiple disciplines including epidemiology, monitoring and evaluation, and policy and systems analysis, which uniquely enable me to bridge perspectives in designing and implementing whole-of-system approaches to complex health issues. I have worked in communicable disease control (including HIV, TB, malaria, pandemics and emerging infectious diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases), sexual and reproductive health, migrant and refugee health, health systems strengthening and non-communicable disease prevention, and can further acquire new knowledge easily. My technical skills are complemented by a track record influencing and consensus building for more effective public health responses in and with diverse organizations, including national and sub-national governments, non-government organizations, bilateral and multilateral aid agencies and donors, and academia. Finally, I am 100% committed to supporting locally owned and driven solutions, including through building capacity of my own teams with dedicated supervision, coaching and mentoring using methods tailored to individuals and the context.