Ms. Rodger will work closely with Victoria Ieremia-Faasili, the Principal Officer for the Climate Change and Health Unit at the Ministry of Health in providing support on climate change and health research, as well as building resilient health programs. This important work will contribute to Samoa\u2019s efforts in responding to the adverse effects of climate change on health, a key Government priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs climate change continues to pose a threat to the health and security of Samoa and the region, we look forward to collaborating with volunteers such as Ms. Rodger in ensuring Samoa\u2019s response to climate change and health is robust,\u201d said Dr Glenn Atoa Fatupaito, Deputy Director General Hospital and Clinical Services, MOH.<\/p>\n
![\"Aust](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/talamua.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Aust-volunteer-2.jpg?resize=740%2C416&ssl=1\")
Jennifer Rodger with some of the local staff she will be working with in Samoa.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an incredible privilege to be able to live in Samoa and learn from my colleagues at the Ministry of Health.\u00a0 I hope that my small contribution will benefit the Samoan people as they continue to respond to the challenges of climate change and its effects on their health,\u201d said Ms. Jennifer Rodger.<\/p>\n
According to Australia’s High Commissioner to Samoa, \u201c<\/strong>The Australian Volunteer program is one of the hallmarks of our engagement in the region and offers many opportunities for our people to learn and grow together.\u00a0 We look forward to finding more opportunities for our people to collaborate, especially as we respond to the challenges we face together in the Blue Pacific,\u201d said Her Excellency Emily Luck.<\/p>\n Background Information In 2020-21, the Australian Volunteer Program (AVP) in Samoa supported eight volunteers and six partner organisations, with a focus on health security and economic recovery and stability in response to COVID-19.\u00a0 As Samoa\u2019s borders were closed during this period, Australian Volunteers worked remotely from Australia to support their respective partners in Samoa.\u00a0 The AVP aims to provide not only expertise to fill gaps as identified by host nations, but also for volunteers to gain new knowledge and skills from their host organisation.<\/p>\n In addition to the \u2018Pathway for the Development of Samoa\u2019, the Ministry of Health\u2019s 10-year Health Sector Plan from FY2019\/20 identifies climate change and disasters as one of eight Health Sector Priorities. A key focus area of the Health Sector plan is \u2018improved risk management and response to disasters, public health emergencies and climate change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Source: Australian High Commission \u00a0APIA, SAMOA \u2013 8 AUG 2022: Samoa has welcomed the Australian Volunteers Program back with the arrival of Jennifer Rodger, an Australian Epidemiologist and Public Health specialist who will serve with Samoa\u2019s Ministry of Health (MOH), Climate Change and Health Unit.\u00a0 Ms Rodger is the first in-country Australian Volunteer in Samoa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[183,181],"tags":[1377,1378,59],"class_list":["post-13219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-people","tag-australia-volunteer-program","tag-epidemiologist-and-public-health-specialist","tag-featured"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/strong>Jennifer Rodger is an epidemiologist and Public Health Specialist.\u00a0 She has worked on cancer research in Sydney, Australia for 13 years, and served a previous Australian Volunteer assignment in Cambodia in 2019-2020 aiding in the Cambodian Government\u2019s malaria elimination program. She is also a distant learning tutor with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK), with expertise in environment, health and sustainable development.<\/p>\n