Find out more about the award recipient

I am a Fijian public health leader, medical doctor, and advocate for equitable and compassionate health systems. My work is guided by a deep belief that every person deserves dignity, inclusion, and access to quality care, regardless of gender identity, sexuality, or circumstance. I am Rotuman by descent and proud to belong to an Oceanic community that values connection, resilience, and service. Over the past two decades I have lived and worked across the Pacific and Asia, carrying lessons from home into global spaces while remaining anchored in community. Outside of work, I am a storyteller, dog-lover, and believer in the power of kindness to transform systems. My journey has been one of learning to serve to translate complex policy into real hope for those most affected by HIV and inequality.

Professionally, I lead Fiji’s national HIV outbreak response as Chair of the HIV Outbreak and Cluster Response Taskforce and Advisor to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services. My role bridges policy, systems design, and community partnership aligning government, civil society, and development partners to scale prevention, treatment, and harm-reduction programmes. Regionally, I am Founding Chair of the Oceania Society for Sexual Health and HIV Medicine and a former UNAIDS Technical Adviser in Myanmar and Pakistan. My work has influenced HIV legislation, national strategies, and workforce training across more than 15 Pacific and Asian countries. I specialise in integrating gender, human rights, and evidence-based approaches into health systems, with a focus on rebuilding trust between people and public institutions. Above all, my professional purpose is to ensure that our HIV response honours the lives and voices of those it exists to serve.

What one achievement you’ve accomplished that you’re most proud of? Why?

I am most proud of leading Fiji’s coordinated national HIV outbreak response the country’s largest public-health mobilisation in over a decade. This work unified government, civil society, and international partners to stabilise a rapidly expanding epidemic, restore ART access, and create a new SRH & HIV Unit within the Ministry of Health. It showed that courageous, community-centred leadership can transform crisis into opportunity.

What do you find most challenging about your work? Why?

Responding to an epidemic demands rapid decisions, yet every data point represents a person’s life. Navigating bureaucratic systems, limited resources, and community fears while maintaining compassion can be exhausting. But it reminds me that public health is not about systems alone it’s about people.

What do you do to recharge your battery?

I recharge by reconnecting with the ocean and my dogs. Time near the sea grounds me it’s where I remember who I am outside the noise of work. I also enjoy writing and talanoa with close friends, which helps me process experiences, laugh, and return to my purpose with clearer perspective.

What is your vulnerability and how do you overcome it?

My vulnerability is over-responsibility feeling personally accountable for outcomes that depend on entire systems. I overcome it by trusting my teams, practising reflection, and setting boundaries that honour rest. Therapy and faith have helped me learn that sustainable leadership begins with self-kindness. 

You have been nominated for the Health and Wellbeing category. What was your reaction and please, tell us why?

I was humbled and surprised. This nomination feels larger than me it honours the countless communities, peers, and friends who have fought for dignity, access, and justice in HIV and LGBTQI health. It’s a reminder that our work, though often unseen, is changing lives and reshaping systems across the Pacific.

With changes that we are currently experiencing politically affecting our movement, and sustainability, what is a warm/hopeful message that you would like to share with the communities in the Asia Pacific?

Our strength lies in connection. Even as systems change, our shared humanity endures. The Pacific teaches that the ocean doesn’t divide us it binds us. Let us keep listening, keep showing up for one another, and keep building health movements rooted in love, courage, and solidarity. The tide is with us.

Anything else you would like to share? 

Every step of my journey from small clinics to international policy rooms has taught me that healing begins with belonging. I carry my identity, culture, and community into every space I work in. If this nomination inspires even one young Pacific person to believe they can lead with compassion, then it’s worth everything.

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