Background

Dr Stenard Hiasihri is public health medical doctor in Papua New Guinea who has an extensive experience in delivering health service in rural Papua New Guinea including planning and administrative oversight and has recently led the Emergency Response to the Drug-Resistant TB outbreak on Daru Island, Western Province of Papua New Guinea.

During his tenure with the TB emergency response he has facilitated publication of articles relevant to response and the outbreak. He has recently joined Burnet Institute to provide leadership for the Global Fund TB HIV investment for three island provinces of Papua New Guinea.

He also provides technical support to Burnet Institute research projects in Kokopo, East New Britain province. He holds a Masters in Public Health qualification in clinical epidemiology from Monash University Australia.

Dr Hiasihri is currently the technical person in Kokopo providing oversight in the implementation of two research projects implement by Burnet Institute and one project delivered by PNG IMR, supported by Burnet. These projects are part of the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies project and Point-of-care test for STI in Pregnancy by PNG IMR.

Serving the role as the Technical Team Leader, he facilitates high-level meetings with the provincial administration, stakeholders, and health partners respectively on the planning and delivery of these research projects in the province. He has helped to develop field monitoring tools that are helping the field teams to track their weekly targets and be on track.

Prior to joining Burnet Institute and post- engagement from Daru, Dr Hiasihri served as the Deputy Provincial Administrator Social Services of New Ireland Provincial Administration. During his 15-month tenure he was instrumental in establishing the New Ireland Provincial Health Authority (PHA) and facilitated both the Health Service Planning and the Corporate Planning for the New Ireland PHA.

Appointments

• PNG Medical Society

Positions

• February 2020 – Current: Team Leader – Fleming Fund Country Grant, Burnet Institute
• 2019 – February 2020: Acting PNG Country Director, Burnet Institute
• April 2018 – September 2018: Global Fund TB/HIV Manager
• January 2017 – March 2018: Chief Executive Officer Social Services (Health, Education & Community Development) – New Ireland Provincial Administration – March 2014 – December 2017: Western Province Provincial TB Public Health Physician – 2004 – 2014: - District Medical Officer – Department of East Sepik Province

Qualifications

• MPH (Clinical Epidemiology & Clinical Research Methods – Monash University
• MBBS – University of Papua New Guinea
• BMedSc – University of Papua New Guinea

Projects (3)

Current (3)

• 

  ANCP – Kickstarting antimicrobial resistance responses in PNG (KICK AMR)

• 

  COMBAT AMR: Mitigating the threat of Antimicrobial Resistance in Pacific Island Countries

• 

  Fleming Fund Country Grant – Papua New Guinea

Publications (3)

2021 (1)

• Beyond the bubble: neighbours helping neighbours.
  Lin YD, du Cros P, Greig J, Lavu EK, Hiasihri S
  Intern Med J. 2021 Jul; 51(7):1013-1015

2019 (2)

• The emergency response to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Daru, Western Province, Papua New Guinea, 2014–2017
  Morris L, Hiasihri S, Chan G, Honjepari A, Tugo O, Taune M, Aia P, Dakulala P, Majumdar, SS
  Pub Health Act. 2019 Sep; 9(Supplement 1):S4-S11
• Telemedicine in resource-limited settings to optimize care for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
  Huang GKL, Pawape G, Taune M, Hiasihri S, Ustero P, O'Brien DP, du Cros P, Graham S, Wootton R, Majumdar S
  Frontiers in Public Health. 2019 Aug; 7:222

News Articles (2)

2021 (1)

• Progress towards ending TB at risk

2019 (1)

• PNG breaks new ground in tuberculosis research