Since 2009, the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development at UTS (WHO CC UTS) has been host to a total of 94 Fellows who have leadership potential as part of the Australia Awards Fellowships, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs. The WHO CC UTS program developed in collaboration with the South Pacific Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers Alliance had 12 fellows attend this year from 6 nations in the Pacific region: Fiji, Samoa, Tuvalu, Nauru, Tokelau, and Solomon Islands. This year, WHO funded a 13th Fellow, from Samoa. Through an application process, Fellows were initially selected by their country’s Chief Nurse/Midwife for their leadership abilities.
In preparation for their arrival, Fellows have worked with their local Chief Nurse/Midwife to develop a project that addresses a critical health need in their country. These projects range from discharge planning, credentialing of staff and management of severe malnutrition to protocols for obstetric emergencies. As well as developing their projects through the course of this program, Fellows will also learn from leaders in the Australian Health profession including Professor Caroline Homer, Professor James Buchan, Ian Anderson and Australia’s Chief Nurse and Midwife, Dr Rosemary Bryant.
At the end of the program, the Fellows will present their projects to a group of experts in project management, health and development to receive feedback on how to improve their project and overcome barriers to implementation once they return to their country.
