Michele Rumsey, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre was recognised in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday honours, appointed a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for significant service to nursing, and to health care policy.
Michele Rumsey ... works tirelessly with nurses and midwives across the Pacific region to achieve better health outcomes. Photo by Andy Roberts
Michele Rumsey is the founding Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development, established at UTS in 2008. She has played an important role in developing and strengthening health workforce regulation and education to achieve better health outcomes in the Western Pacific region.
At the age of only 16, Rumsey embarked on what has become an “eclectic nursing career”, characterised by her passion and persistence. She is skilled in consultation, strategic planning, research, networking, negotiation and project management, and able to work in ways that are culturally appropriate, building trust and relationships with local health care workers. Nurses are three-quarters of the professional health workforce in the South and Western Pacific, 95% are women and more than half are under 35.
Some of the UTS Faculty of Health, WHO Collaborating Centre’s current projects, in partnership with nurses and midwives across the Pacific region include, the Pacific leadership programs and health workforce quality improvement programs with WHO. Also a multimillion-dollar health strengthening education program with PNG’s National Department of Health, funded by the Australian Government.
Michele Rumsey says, “I am very, very humbled to receive this honour and it’s nice to be recognised in this way. It's hard when the colleagues I work with are so stretched every day but this is a way to shine a spotlight on the value of nursing and midwifery. Anything we can do to support nursing, and for people to understand the value of nursing, is really important.”
Read about more distinguished UTS women, who were recognised in the 2022 Queen's Birthday honours: Queen’s Birthday honours to UTS leaders.