Pacific women are breaking barriers by taking up more roles in science and technology, a field that men predominately occupy. 

The Pacific Community (SPC) works in the region to support women in science and technology through capacity development opportunities and continues to drive gender quality, disability, and social inclusion in its work, internally and externally.

SPC’s Public Health Division also works in this space to ensure women are supported in their existing roles. For instance, in 2023, 14 continuous professional development opportunities were supported, of which 72% were females.

To encourage and inspire young aspiring professionals, our readers and viewers, we share brief career stories of women in health around the Pacific.

Sunema Talapusi, Biomedical Adviser for SPC's Public Health Division, based in Suva Fiji.

Q: What inspired you to pursue this career path?

A: I was always interested in physics and medicine, and closer to choosing a degree for my Australian scholarship, I came upon the biomedical engineering programme, which linked technical and physics concepts with medical concepts. I’ve always wanted to work in the medical field but felt my strengths were in the physics and mechanical side of things. I feel that I get the best of both worlds especially with the development of healthcare technology and how the world is shifting to the digital age.

Q: How easy or difficult has this journey been?

A: It definitely wasn’t an easy journey, but with the support of my family and friends, I was able to complete my degree with Honours. After completing my degree, I went back to Samoa and worked at the National Health Services and then the Ministry of Health for almost eight years. As the first biomedical engineer and female in Samoa, it was challenging to break barriers, especially in this male-dominated specialised field. Over time, they learnt and trusted my work, and they took my recommendations on biomedical engineering matters seriously.  Some still call me for advice even after leaving the service.

After working in WHO and now SPC, it has been quite a journey to work at a regional level. All similar issues but different scales and challenges with different countries. There still needs to be more awareness in other PICTs and I am looking forward to working with them and using my experience from operation level to apply to the different contexts within the region.

Q: What is one key success from your career that you will always be proud of?

Establishing documentation of the biomedical work within the Samoan health system for the full lifecycle of medical equipment and incorporating user training on various medical equipment are some important highlights of my career so far.

It is now compulsory for all new/donated medical equipment to be tested and performance verified before patient use. This ensures the safety of medical equipment used in the hospitals. Also, user training is part of the acceptance and commissioning process to ensure that the medical equipment is used correctly and properly handled with care to minimise all the medical equipment breakdown and thus cost beneficial to the government.  

Q: What's your advice to aspiring young people wanting to pursue a career in this field?

A: If you are passionate about helping patients and love working with different tools and equipment, biomedical engineering is the future for you. There is never a dull moment in this career, and critical analysis of various issues is a regular part of it. No day is the same, and at the end of the day, you get to help save lives.

Barbara Levi Tali, Director of the Public Health for the Tokelau Department of Health.

Q: What inspired you to pursue this career path?

A: I was inspired by the then Director of Health, Dr Tekie Iosefa, to explore this career path. In 2005, while I was still completing my final year in the Diploma in Nursing at the University of Samoa, Dr Tekie took charge to encourage us final-year students to pursue a career that was needed within our health structure.

My passion was to become the first pharmacist in Tokelau, but with the needs of our Department of Health, my career path took a new turn, and I decided to become the first public health graduate for Tokelau. In 2006, I started my Bachelor's in Public Health.

In 2010, I started working as the NCD coordinator for Lomaloma Hospital. In my fourth year as the NCD coordinator, I was nominated to be part of the Postgraduate Certificate in Field Epidemiology programme (PGCFE).

After working six years as the NCD coordinator under the Taupulega of Atafu, I signed my first contract with the Department of Health in 2016 as the National Health Educator and Health Promoter.

In 2018, an extra role was added to my journey, and I took up the role of the National Surveillance Officer, this was due to the skills and knowledge I learned from the PGCFE training.

And all this work and experience contributed to my current Director for Public Health role, which I started in 2023.

Q: How easy or difficult has this journey been?

A: My journey wasn't easy, but the support and love of my family and the prayers of my people have made it possible. The journey to success is not as easy as you think, but you must fight and work hard to succeed. Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

I want to highlight two key things that have got me this far. One is to believe in yourself. Believe that you can achieve wonderful things and that you can achieve what you want.

The last point is integrity; your honesty and solid moral principles can help you make the right decision and build trust around you. Once everyone trusts you, support will always be there to guide you along the way.

Q: What is one key success from your career that you will always be proud of?

I think my journey and my passion for my country are what I am proud of. It has helped me achieve where I am currently in life and with my professional career.

Q: What is your advice to aspiring young people wanting to pursue a career in this field?

A: If you are ready to embark on your new career as an epidemiologist. If you are anything like me, you might have explored several fields before finding your way to applied epidemiology. Or maybe you have always known that epidemiology is the place for you. If so, I advise you to be passionate about the career you're choosing.

I also encourage you to learn how to use Microsoft Office proficiently, especially Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, find a mentor, take advantage of learning opportunities, partner with others to expand your skills, connect with the users of your data and analysis, understand the data, and clearly communicate your findings.

I wish you all the best with your journey today and the future.