Background

Milena has over 13 years of experience in health systems strengthening, public health research and program management with a focus on immunisation, reproductive, maternal and child health.

She has worked in Vietnam, the United Kingdom, the United States, Ukraine, across Africa and in Papua New Guinea developing, coordinating, and executing international projects for non-governmental organisations, United Nations agencies and governmental institutions.

From 2019 to 2022 she led a multi-donor program to increase routine immunisation coverage for children under one in 12 provinces across Papua New Guinea.

Her prior roles have included coordinating non-communicable disease implementation science research for NYU Langone, where she worked closely with public health professors, doctors and community health workers in the US, Sudan, Ghana and Kenya. For UNICEF, Milena worked as part of the monitoring and evaluation team with the UN Commission on Life Saving Commodities for Women and Children to increase access to life saving commodities in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia.

Qualifications

• 2017: Master of Public Health, Global Health Specialisation, New York University, New York
• 2010: Bachelor of Arts, International Studies with Honours, RMIT University, Melbourne

Appointments

• Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance Steering Committee Member

Awards

• 2024: Margaret Harrison Parental Leave Fellowship
• Vice Chancellor’s List Award for Academic Excellence, RMIT University

Positions

• 2025: Co-Head, Immunisation and Health Systems Strengthening, Burnet Institute
• 2023–present: Deputy Discipline Head, International Development, Burnet Institute
• 2022–present: Senior Research Fellow, Immunisation and Health Systems Strengthening, Burnet Institute
• 2020: Senior Manager, Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health, Abt Associates - Australia, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and Melbourne, Australia
• 2019: Immunisation Program Manager, Abt Associates - Australia, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and Melbourne, Australia
• 2017: Program Coordinator, Section for Global Health, Department of Population Health, NYU Langone Health, New York
• 2017: Consultant, Alive & Thrive / FHI 360, New York
• 2016: Consultant, UN World Food Programme, Madagascar and New York
• 2016: Consultant, UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children at UNICEF, New York
• 2016: Consultant, World Altering Medicine, Lilongwe, Malawi
• 2013: Business Development Manager, Melbourne Convention Bureau of Australia, New York
• 2011: Project Assistant, Alive & Thrive / FHI 360, Hanoi, Vietnam