paediatrician, and past President of Pacific Paediatric Association and collaborated in Pacific RHD control. Pre-PhD he led the Fiji MHMS RHD Control Program, and is a technical advisor for Cure Kids-MFAT support for the RHD Control Program Fiji.

cardiovascular health. A/Prof Wyber completed her medical training in Aotearoa, her Master of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health and general practice training in Aboriginal Community Controlled Clinics in the Northern Territory of Australia. A/Prof Wyber’s research has focused on rheumatic heart disease, in Australia and internationally. She was the lead author of the RHD Endgame Strategy to eliminate RHD in Australia by 2031 and her PhD thesis addresses policy options to address RHD. She is a Chief Investigator on the NHMRC STARFISH Synergy grant. A/Prof Wyber is a Senior Adjunct Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia. A/Prof Wyber is also a Research Fellow at Australian National University on chronic disease risk assessment and management for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research.

portfolio of projects as part of the Strep A Translation team at The Kids Research Institute Australia.

disease-causing mechanisms of Strep A. She has since completed systematic reviews on the burden of Strep A diseases, Strep A transmission mechanisms, and environmental health initiatives to prevent Strep A transmission. She has recently been involved as a Project Coordinator for the Pacific Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) Program funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

experience, with expertise in data-driven health systems, communicable disease surveillance, program management, and health policy implementation. Dr. Sharma holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the Fiji National University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health (endorsed in Epidemiology), and a Master of Public Health from the University of Otago in New Zealand. Prior to joining Pacific RHD, she held several public health roles within the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services. These included serving as Senior Medical Officer in the Research, Innovation, Data Analysis and Management Unit; leading the Information, Planning and Surveillance Pillar in Fiji’s national COVID-19 Response Unit; and most recently, serving as Principal Medical Officer in the Family Health Unit, where she oversaw six key national programs focused on early childhood, immunization, cervical cancer, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), maternal health, and child health. Dr. Sharma is deeply committed to evidence-based policymaking, advancing regional health equity, and fostering cross-sector collaboration to improve health outcomes across the Pacific. “What I enjoy most about my work is the opportunity to make a tangible difference in people’s lives by strengthening health systems and programs that reach the most vulnerable.”