Our Board and Committee Members - Centre For Migrant and Refugee Health

The Centre for Migrant and Refugee Health was founded by Migrants for Migrants, our board and committee is comprised of active leaders in the Melbourne Migrant Community who are seeking to ensure that issues of migration, migrant, refugee, and asylum seekers` health and healthcare are technically, culturally, and ethically managed in systematic approaches.

In a broad sense, the executive board acts as a fiduciary for the Centre for Migrant and Refugee Health (CMRH) and Sudanese Mothers Coalition in Victoria (SMCV) that have an agreed partnership and collaboration in pursuing their missions and visions. The CMRH and SMCV are interested in advancing the needs in social justice, healthcare, mental health, and wellbeing for migrant and refugee, including new and emerging communities in Victoria.

Some of the duties that the executive board would execute including determining policies and programs of CMRH and SMCV; strategically plan for the future of the organisation, fundraising and enhance resource development, ensuring strong fiduciary oversight and financial management, protect the CMRH and SMCV public image and assessing its performance as the governing body of CMRH and SMCV

Mr. Mabor Chadhuol

Board Director, Executive Director, CMRH & SMCV

Mr. Mabor Chadhuol

Mr. Mabor Chadhuol is a Clinical Epidemiologist and Public Health Expert in the area of Global Health. He holds a Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) from The University of Melbourne and The University of Sydney, respectively. Among other qualifications, he has an Honours Code Certificate in Fundamental of Clinical Trial from Harvard University, EDX, Boston, USA. And Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University.

He has served for advisory boards, including the community advisory board of Victorian Hepatitis B Alliance as well as the Australian Institute of Family Studies, positioned to provide advisement and consultancy on culturally linguistically diverse (CALD) Young People and Sexually Abusive Behaviours in Australia.

He has over 10 years’ experience as an Executive Director of the Sudanese Mothers Coalition in Victoria and held more executive positions in health organisations including Centre for Migrant and Refugee Health and Society of South Sudanese Professional-Australia.

Mr Mabor currently works parttime and on a casual basis with Deakin University as a Professional Staff, Research Assistant, Project Officer-Research, Wyndham Education Centre CSG, and a Clinical and Partnership Coordinator at The Wellington Centre. In the last 6 years, he has worked as an academic/alumni-based mentor in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne.

Mr Mabor has great expertise in Public Health (Global Health), Clinical Epidemiology and Research. His experience has been in community health and preventive medicine especially on non-communicable and communicable diseases. In his last role with the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health, he worked as a Project Officer and Community Engagement responsible for various health programs, including community-strengthening action projects, health literacy and cultural competence. Alongside these programs, he had also delivered projects on health promotions, health capacity building, screening, and evaluations on sexually transmissible infections (STIs) such as syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, human papillomavirus (HPV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B for outbound or returning migrant and refugee in Australia.

Mr Mabor has an interest in strengthening health policy and healthcare systems in mental health for vulnerable communities in Australia, as well as having great passion in infectious diseases.

For instance, in a recent time, he has published a number of articles on COVID-19 in Herald based media and a distinguish commentator at the Australian Conversations.

He had also peer-facilitated 1 of 10 focus group research projects in Victoria, exploring participants` knowledge of HIV and HIV Testing among people born in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia living in Australia. The research project was designed and carried out by Curtin University, a multi-jurisdictional study based in Australia, later published in the European Journal of Public Health by Oxford University and other Public Health journals.

He also has a great interest in Public Health and Pharmaceutical Medicine (see his blog link below)

https://www.maborchadhuolinsights.com/

Dr. Amir Ansari

Board Secretary, CMRH & SMCV

Dr. Amir Ansari

Dr. Amir Ansari is a Medical Doctor by training and has extensive experience in general practice and primary health care. He is a Public Health Expert specialising in international health. During his more than three decades of career, he has worked with governmental, non-governmental, and community organisations, and UNICEF and collaborated with WHO. He has managed many public health projects, including their community development, community engagement and health promotion components. Some of the programs he has managed are child and maternal immunisation, safe motherhood, auxiliary health workforce, child survival and nutrition.

He has experience in disaster/emergency management, including resilience-based recovery as well.

He was advisor to the Minister of Health of Afghanistan in leadership communication and has gained great experience in corporate/leadership communication.

Dr Amir Ansari completed his first university degree as a Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Afghanistan and holds two master’s degrees. Completed his Master of Public Health in La Trobe University in Australia majoring on health promotion, health equity, healthy settings, environmental health, and evidence-based public health. His second master’s degree is in Business Administration from Preston University in Pakistan.

During a decade work with the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Afghanistan, he directed and coordinated the development and implementation of Child Survival and Women’s Health programs in conjunction with UNICEF, WHO and Non-Governmental Organisations. In addition, he managed leadership communication of MoH by working with internal and external stakeholders such as donors, parliament, media, and health organisations from 2007-2010.

During his work for UNICEF, he was a key person in designing, planning, and conducting national immunisation campaigns including their community participation and awareness components. The campaigns were: Polio Eradication, Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination and Measles Mortality Reduction. He has contributed to diseases surveillance and management of Adverse Events Following Immunisation as well. He was also one of the designers of Emergency Obstetric Care program in Afghanistan.

He is very much familiar with the health care system of Australia and local government environment. He is aware of the health and wellbeing challenges and priorities among disadvantaged people and communities in Australia. He believes that social equality is achievable through implementation of social equity. He believes in identification and improvement of social determinants of health and wellbeing, and they make foundation of his work philosophy.

Tanya McKenzie

Board Treasurer, CMRH & SMCV

Tanya McKenzie

Tanya McKenzie is the Health Literacy and Diversity Manager at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. The Health Literacy and Diversity Manager role sits within the Prevention and Wellbeing portfolio and is pivotal in reducing barriers and disparities for marginalized people to improve outcomes. Her previous experience includes education and holds a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Professional Writing and Psychology.

As the Health Literacy and Diversity Manager, Tanya implements strategies, frameworks, and education to drive deliverables for the empowerment and engagement of people or groups who feel marginalized. She champions respectful, co-design methodology and promotes culturally safe and competent interventions that optimize the value of inclusivity for improved outcomes for all.

Mr. Henry Makuei

Deputy Treasurer, CRMH & SMCV

Mr. Henry Makuei

Mr. Henry Makuei graduated from University of Southern Queensland with Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Master of Business in applied finance and from RMIT University with Master of International Development. His hubbies are sports, especially soccer and footy and reading books.

Customer Due Diligent (CDD) Quality Analyst professional at ANZ Bank, a well-organised professional with diversified experience in client onboarding and governance with special focus on Ant-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in financial services industry. Results oriented and specialist who works in a team environment as well as independently.

Previously worked as administration and client engagement officer for Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

He is a founding member of South Sudanese Society of professionals and volunteered with multiple community organisations including South Sudanese Wyndham community, National consensus council, Crossroad Uniting Church, Diaspora Network, South Sudan peace initiative and Australia Institute for Disaster Resilience.

Mrs. Monica Majak

Board Director, President, SMCV

Mrs. Monica Majak

Mrs. Monica is undertaking a Bachelor of Social Work at the University of New England. Mrs. Monic Majak is a woman advocate and recipient of the African Media Australia Award 2018, and the South Sudan Academic Society Award 2020, honors based on the resilience and empowerment of the communities in Australia. Mrs. Monica has led the Sudanese Mothers Coalition in Victoria for 14 years, establishing various partnerships and collaboration with the Victorian, and Australian governments at large, including other non-profitable and charity organizations. Mrs. Monica is currently working in collaboration with AfriAus_Care Australia and many community organizations. She is a renowned Age care nurse in Victoria, Australia, and has worked in the industry for 16 years.

She has previously worked as a women leader at the South Sudanese Community Association of Victoria, Australia where she has demonstrated great leadership skills.

Mrs. Monica is a presently working with the National Institute of Health and Welfare (NIHW), South Sudan (overseas) as the Executive Director spearheading portfolio of the Maternal and Child Health.

Mrs. Monica is the founding member of NIHW, who always has dedication and commitment to change the life of disenfranchised and struggling South Sudanese Women around the World.

She is passionate to advanced better healthcare services in the field of maternal and child health care in the Republic of South Sudan. She believes her hopes are not at the crossroads, given that she has vast responsibilities and believes in the inspiration of making the life of women and children possible in South Sudan by evolving continuous advocacy for healthy birth for women and healthy children in South Sudan.

Mrs. Magdalena Ayuen

Board non-Executive Director, SMCV

Mrs. Magdalena Ayuen

Mrs. Magdalena Ayuen is a community and social advocate who has work for 20 years. Mrs. Ayuen is a married woman with three daughters and has a diploma in community service.

Mrs. Ayuen has worked in many multicultural community organisations where she has served in senior positions. Mrs. Ayuen has been in Australia for 20 years and has worked with Aweil Community and all other Sudanese communities, including the Sudanese Mothers Coalition in Victoria, Inc.

In 1986, Mrs. Ayuen left South Sudan for Ethiopia due to the Sudan Civil War. She has been involved in taking care of unaccompanied minors, Lostboys, and Lostgirls from South Sudan. Mrs. Ayuen is still working with the Lostboys and Lostgirls in Victoria, Australia and she is passionate for assist in mental health. Mrs. Ayuen has excellent experience to bring to the board of the Centre for Migrant and Refugee Health.