Office of the Director Team
Dr Berlin Kafoa, Public Health Division Director, has over 20 years of experience in the Health sector, at national, regional and international level. Dr Berlin holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of the South Pacific as well as a Master of Public Health from the University of New South Wales. He joined SPC in 2016.
Ms Béryl Fulilagi, Project Officer, worked in the British financial sector after coming back to New Caledonia. She works on budgets, contracts, procurement, and the organization of meetings and workshops.
Mr Sunia Soakai is the Deputy Director, Public Health Division supports the Director, Public Health Division in managing the newly created health systems team. Areas of work the team will be responsible for are, regional health architecture, governance, health planning and monitoring, evaluation and learning, health information, health workforce, and communications and media.
Dr Revite Kirition is the Health Planning, Policy and Performance (M&E) advisor for the Public Health team. He is a public health physician from Kiribati and brings with him experience in the areas of Public health, Health management, and Monitoring and Evaluation.
Lalomilo Varea is the monitoring & evaluation data assistant, he has a degree in public health majoring in project management. He has 4 years of experience working in M& E in Fiji, specialising mostly in data management and visualisation.
Ms Evlyn Mani is the Communications and Information Officer, Public Health Division. She has a strong background and experience, having worked in the Pacific and with counterparts towards shaping and delivering strategic communications, media and capacity development for long- term sustainable outcomes.
Mr William Kunai is the finance and policy officer, of Papua New Guinean nationality. A qualified CPA with a diverse working experience across the private sector and non-profit spectrum.
Ms Timaleti Rokotavaga, Division Finance and Administration Assistant, providing project financial support, as well as administrative support to the PHD programmes and lead role in organising travel, workshops and conferences.
Ms Shivani Narayan, Finance and Administration Assistant, and provides admin support to the teams as well as assist with financial management.She has 4 years of experience working in project management, having worked at the Project Resource Centre, Fiji School of Medicine, prior to joining Public Health Division, SPC.
Surveillance, Preparedness and Response Team
Mr Onofre Edwin A. Merilles, Jr team Leader for Surveillance, Preparedness and Response. Epidemiologist by profession, he brings in over 20 years of experience in the management, monitoring and evaluation and improvement of health systems.
Dr Salanieta T Saketa is Senior Epidemiologist and a public health physician with over 20 years of experience both at the operational and strategic levels. A Fijian national, she brings to national technical assistance over 20 years of experience on both communicable and NCDs.
Dr Jocelyn Cabarles is the focal point for PGCFE/DDM courses and supports SPR programme activities. She is an epidemiologist and worked as an M&E advisor on tuberculosis, maternal health, family planning and other issues in the Philippines, PNG and other countries of the region.
Mr Tebuka Toatu, LabNet Coordinator for the North Pacific. A national of Kiribati, he holds a Master of Science in Medicine. While in Kiribati he worked as Director of Laboratory Services and acting HIV/STI coordinator.
Mr Vijesh Lal is a Laboratory Specialist with a background as senior laboratory technologist in pathology. Educated in Medical laboratory technology he holds a Post Grad diplomas in Public Health and in Health Service Management.
Mrs Elise Benyon, Data Processing Officer & PPHSN Focal Point, is from New Caledonia and joined the Division in 1986. Her work is focussed on the PPHSN, subscribing members to PacNet, and undertaking administrative work to support the Surveillance team during meetings and trainings.
Ms Christelle Lepers is Surveillance Information and Communication Officer with over 15 years of experience in communicable disease surveillance and communications during outbreaks. She manages the regional epidemic intelligence system and provides technical assistance in risk communication.
Dr Eka Buadromo: General Pathologist with over 20 years of practice in the region. Served in the field of diagnostic pathology and laboratory management as country’s Chief Pathologist in Fiji and Tonga and offered assistance in other laboratory services in the region including Samoa. Joined the Pacific Community as Senior laboratory adviser leading the laboratory team and supporting trainee pathologist in the region through postgraduate teaching at the Fiji National University.
Mr Shakti Gounder, Surveillance and Research Officer, is from Fiji. He holds a Master of Public Health from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia and brings in extensive communicable disease surveillance experience. While in Fiji, he worked as Communicable Disease Surveillance Officer and Public Health Officer for Tuberculosis. More recently he worked in Melbourne as HIV Surveillance Officer.
Margaret Leong is the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Advisor, her role is to strengthen regional Pacific islands and territories Infection prevention control systems including IPC preparedness and response to outbreaks of Public health priority diseases. She has previously spent many years working in the public health sector, both as an IPC clinician and in nursing leadership roles in the Fiji Ministry of Health & Medical Services.
Dr Sonny Magboo - Epidemiologist - Project Coordinator for the AU DFAT Pacific Evidence Informed Policies and Program (Pac-EVIPP) project. He is a public health specialist and an epidemiologist with over 22 years of experience in programme/project management, coordination, and evaluation.
Dr Louise Fonua, Epidemiologist -Training, is a public health physician and epidemiologist. Prior to moving to SPC, she worked as a public health specialist and departmental head for the communicable diseases and surveillance unit of the Ministry of Health Tonga.
Christine Bury is the Data Processing Technician, she has worked at SPC in several divisions as an administrative support, data base assistant, organizing travel and conferences.
Non Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Programme
Dr Si Thu Win Tin, Team Leader for NCD Programme, is a medical graduate with MPH and PhD from the University of Sydney. He worked as Research Fellow at the University of Sydney, NCD Adviser for SPC, Director of Public Health for Nauru MOH and Public Health Physician for the World Vision and Aide Medical International. He brings wide experience in NCD and international public health, and provides leadership and technical oversight of NCD Team’s technical support to member countries.
Ms Elisiva Na’ati, is the NCD adviser, public health nutrition. She is a NZ registered dietitian with years of experience in clinical dietetics and diabetes while working with Ministry of Health in Tonga.
Mrs Solène Bertrand-Protat, NCD adviser - francophone member countries, is a dietician with 15 years’ experience working in health promotion project’s management to address lifestyle-related diseases in the Pacific region.
Dr Ilisapeci Kubuabola, NCD Adviser – Monitoring, Evaluation and Surveillance, is a medical graduate with a Masters in Applied Epidemiology from the Australian National University. Prior to joining SPC she was the Director of the Pacific Research Centre for the Prevention and Control of NCD at the College of Medicine at the Fiji National University. She was also the former Head of School of Public Health; Assistant Professor in Applied Epidemiology; Medical trainee internship programme coordinator at the College of Medicine, FNU and former Senior Medical Officer at the Fiji Centre for Disease Control within the Ministry of Health. She brings with her over 15 years of public health practise, epidemiology and research in both communicable and non-communicable disease and has taught widely in the region in these areas.
Dr Amerita Ravuvu is the NCD Adviser – Policy and Planning for the Public Health Division. She is a development and trade policy researcher with a background in human geography and brings with her knowledge and experience in development policy and planning and research administration. She has a keen interest on issues concerning the development aid agenda and prior to joining SPC, she has been engaged in research focused on developed aid, climate change financing and rural development.
Ms Silina Motofaga, is the Clinical Services Adviser. Her role is to provide technical assistance to the Pacific Clinical Networks and support Clinical Services research and policy development.
Mrs Silina Waqa- Ledua is the Nursing Advisor. She was the former chief nurse & mdiwifery officer for the Fiji Ministry of Health & Medical Services till 2018 and the director Fiji nursing council from 2018 to 2021.