Maxine A. Whittaker, MBBS,  MPH , PhD, FAFPHM, GAICD is the Co-Director of the World Health Organisation's Collaborating Centre for Vector Borne Diseases and Neglected Tropical Diseases. In 2017 she was awarded the Royal Australasian College of Physicians International Medal in recognition of outstanding service in developing countries. 

Experience Maxine Whittaker has lived and worked in Bangladesh, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Papua New Guniea and worked extensively in China, Fiji, Indonesia, Kenya, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Thailand , Tonga, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.  She has extensive experience in project and programme design in health and development, especially in infectious diseases, One Health, and sexual and reproductive health, gender analysis, and using rapid formative research and anthropological methods and for a variety of international development partner and NGO organizations.  From 2006-2009 she was the Senior Technical Health Adviser to the National Department of Health in Papua New Guinea where she was involved in health and development policy work, technical programme support especially in disease control and family health services, and a member of several national committees to advise the Ministry of Health.

Research Interests Maxine Whittaker research interests are in fields of operational and health services research and medical anthropology, with a primary focus on Oe Health, sexual and reproductive health, health seeking behaviour and quality of care. She has a special interest in the issue of scaling-up pilot programmes into policy and practice, and as a founding member of Expandnet has contributed to a body of work published by WHO on this topic. She is co-chaired the Health Systems panel (http://www.malariaeradication.org/malera-refresh) and is recognized as one of the leaders in re-invigorating social sciences and community participation  in the malaria research agenda. 

Since 2009 has been CI on research and project grants in the Asia Pacific region worth more than $A80 million including several from DFAT published more than 80 peer reviewed publications, and several project documents for development partners and countries, policy briefings, briefing papers, book chapters and commissioned papers.

Present service and leadership roles 

 - Civil Society Representative to the Global Fund Regional Artemisin Initiatives Regional Steering Committee (https://www.malariafreemekong.org/contents/malaria-free-mekong-a-platform-of-communities-and-civil-society-organizations-announces-the-appointment-of-global-fund-rai-rsc-cso-representatvies-amd-alternates) 

- Co- Chair of the WHO Research Project Review Panel (RP2) of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research including the WHO Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/about_us/en/).

-- Member of the  Technical Reference Group of the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia)(https://indopacifichealthsecurity.dfat.gov.au/) - -

- Member Queensland Government's Biosecurity Ministerial Advisory Council (2019- now) (https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/biosecurity/policy-legislation-regulation/biosecurity-queensland-ministerial-advisory-committee).

- Member of the Public Health Association of Australia 

- Member, Steering Committee CSIRO Strengthening Pandemic Preparedness: Sceicne and technology enabled solutions mission (2021-2022)

- Executive Committee of Australian Network of WHO Collaborating Centres. 

- Member of the Communicable Disease Research Centre Reference Group, Fiji Institute of Pacific Health Research at Fiji National University

Previous positions She was previously Dean of the College of Public Health, Medcial and Veterinary Sciences at James Cook University (2016-2021); and Professor of International and Tropical  Health and Co-Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Health Information Systems, Director of the Health Information Systems Knowledge Hub, Program Director of the Australian Initiative on Control and Elimination of Malaria/Pacific Malaria Initiative Support Centre and co-Secretariat of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (2008-2016) .

Previous service and leadership roles She was the Chair of the Board of Trustees (2019), Board of Trustee member ( 2014-2019) and member of the Scientific Advisory Group of icddr,b (https://www.icddrb.org/). 

Other professional activities: 

Temporary adviser to Scientific and Technical Advisory Group, WHO Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, 15-24 February, 2022

Temporary adviser to World Health Organisation (Western Pacific Region) to 4th meeting Technical Advisory Group on Universal Health Coverage (19-21 August 2020) and 5th Meeting (15-17 November 2021) 

Temporary adviser to World Health Organisation (Western Pacific Region) to Consultation on Reaching the Unreached (27-29 July 2020)

Section Editor for Health Systems and Social Science of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Associate Editor for Malaria Journal

Associate Editor Public Health Action

Editorial Board Member One Health Bulletin  (Hainan Medical University Press)

Senior Editor for Biomedicine Hub

Member of the RBM Country and Regional Support Partners Committee

Member of the Australian Anthropological Society

Member of the Society for Applied Anthropology

Member of the Royal Society for Tropcial medicine and Hygiene

Member of Expandnet

Technical Advisor, International Development, Storyboxes (https://www.thestoryboxes.com/)

Mentor in the ASTMH Committee on Global Health (ACGH) Mentorship Initiative (2019)

Mentor in the Catalyse Mentorship program - advancing women scientists in Aboriginal and Tropical health (Menzies Institute)(2019 and 2021)

Consultant, Fred Hollows Foudnation (NZ) to develop an Eye Health roadmap for Papua New Guinea

Media Events

Radio:

The Health Report - Guest profile   

The Health Report: Reducing death in childbirth (Aired: Monday 8 November 2010 8:39AM)

The Global Body Psrt 4: The future of the human race   https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/maxine-whittaker/3917878 (Broadcast Mon 14 Jan 2013, 5:30pm)   

The Conversation

https://theconversation.com/profiles/maxine-whittaker-349567/articles

YouTube/Videos

Situational  Analysis on health services in northern Australia webinar for CRC  NA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gKjoddtCQc  and related publications  https://crcna.com.au/resources/publications/northern-australia-health-service-delivery-situational-analysis-webinar  and

https://crcna.com.au/resources/publications/northern-australia-health-service-delivery-situational-analysis-fact-sheet·    

Open Access (JCU Open Access Week 2019)

Introduction  to One Health https://youtu.be/f2URbp318eg

 Mi aigris long koins bilong em' ('I was attracted to him because of his money'): Polygamy, sexual agency and women in contemporary Papua New Guinea The 2013 Australasian HIV/AIDS and Sexual Health Conference, Recorded on 21-25 October 2013 in Darwin, Australia.  -https://www.sexualhealthvisual.com/Video_by_Agnes_Mek_on_Mi_aigris_long_koins_bilong_em_I_was_attracted_to_him_because_of_his_money_Polygamy_sexual_agency_and_women_in_contemporary_Papua_New_Guinea_1.html#lectures

Books

Released in 2021: One Health: The Theory and Practice of Integrated Health Approaches 2nd edition. October 2020 Edited by Jakob Zinsstag, Esther Schelling, Lisa Crump, Maxine Whittaker, Marcel Tanner and Craig Stephen

     

 

Teaching

• TM5501: Tropical Medicine (Level 5; TSV)
• TM5513: Public Health Management, Leadership, Planning and Policy (Level 5; TSV)
• TM5525: Communicable Disease Control (Level 5; TSV)
• TV1101: Introduction to Veterinary Science (Level 1; TSV)

Interests

Professional

• Global health advocacy
• Co-Chair WHO Research panel for Reproductive program of the Human reproduction program (HRP)
• Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network
• capacity building and development

Research

• Global health policy
• Medical anthropology
• Malaria and other infectious diseases
• One Health
• Health systems research
• Operational and implementation research

Teaching

• global public health
• health systems
• One Health

Experience

• 2016 to 2021 - Dean, College of, James Cook University (Townsville, Australia)
• 2009 to 2016 - Professor, University of Queensland School of Public Health (Brisbane, Australia)
• 2009 to 2014 - Director, Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health (Brisbane, Australia)
• 1994 to 2001 - Senior Lecturer/Lecturer, University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia)
• 1991 to 1992 - Visiting Fellow, Child Survival Project, Department of Demography and National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, (Canberra)
• 1989 to 1990 - Operations Research Scientist,, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
• 1986 to 1988 - Resident Associate,, The Population Council, (Lusaka, Zambia)

Research Disciplines

• Health services and systems (4203)
• Medical microbiology (3207)

Awards

• 2017 - Royal College of Physicians International Medal
• 1985 - • 1985 Life Member International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA)
• 1984 - Honorary Life Member, Australian Medical Students Association
• 2001 - Dr Jerusha Jhirad Oration Award. Presented at the Silver Jubilee Conference of Medical Women International Association (MWIA)

Fellowships

• 1998 - University of Queensland Short Fellowship

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Naing C, Htet Htet N, Aye S, Aung H, Tanner M and Whittaker M (2022) Detection of asymptomatic malaria in Asian countries: a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy. Malaria Journal, 21.
• Carlisle K, Larkins S, Whittaker M, MacLaren D and Delai M (2021) Research capacity training for surveillance and response in the Indo-Pacific: a case study of implementation. Public Health Action, 11 (2). pp. 61-68
• Goulolo N, Bugoro H, Whittaker M, Larkins S, Harrington H, Carlisle K, MacLaren D and Evans R (2021) Perspectives of nurses about factors affecting quality of care at the Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital during the 2016-2017 dengue outbreak: a qualitative study. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 33 (6-7).
• Maulingin?Gumbaketi E, Larkins S, Gunnarsson R, Rembeck G, Whittaker M and Redman-MacLaren M (2021) ‘Making of a strong woman’: a constructivist grounded theory of the experiences of young women around menarche in Papua New Guinea. BMC Women's Health, 21.
• Nyundo L, Whittaker M, Eagle L and Low D (2021) Adaptation of community-based distribution of family planning services to context-specific social networks: a case of marriage counsellors in Lusaka district, Zambia. BMC Health Services Research, 21.
• Edelman A, Grundy J, Larkins S, Topp S, Atkinson D, Patel B, Strivens E, Moodley N and Whittaker M (2020) Health service delivery and workforce in northern Australia: a scoping review. Rural and Remote Health, 20 (4).
• Heard E, Fitzgerald L, Whittaker M, Va'ai S and Mutch A (2020) Exploring intimate partner violence in Polynesia: a scoping review. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 21 (4). pp. 769-778
• Larkins S, Carlisle K, Harrington H, MacLaren D, Lovo E, Harrington R, Alves L, Rafai E, Delai M and Whittaker M (2020) From the frontline: strengthening surveillance and response capacities of the rural workforce in the Asia-Pacific region. How can grass-roots implementation research help? Frontiers in Public Health, 8.
• Mashkour N, Jones K, Kophamel S, Hipolito T, Ahasan S, Walker G, Jakob-Hoff R, Whittaker M, Hamann M, Bell I, Elliman J, Owens L, Saladin C, Crespo-Picazo J, Gardner B, Loganathan A, Bowater R, Young E, Robinson D, Baverstock W, Blyde D, March D, Eghbali M, Mohammadi M, Freggi D, Giliam J, Hale M, Nicolle N, Spiby K, Wrobel D, Parga M, Mobaraki A, Rajakaruna R, Hyland K, Read M and Ariel E (2020) Disease risk analysis in sea turtles: a baseline study to inform conservation efforts. PLoS ONE, 15 (10).
• Naing C, Whittaker M and Tanner M (2020) Multisectoral approach to support use of insecticide- treated net for malaria prevention among mobile and migrant populations in Myanmar: a systematic review. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 222. pp. s717-s725
• Nguyen P, Whittaker M, Okely A and Pomat W (2020) Measuring unmet need for contraception among women in rural areas of Papua New Guinea. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 28 (2). pp. 1-17

Book Chapters

• Nyundo L, Eagle L and Whittaker M (2021) Relevance of social marketing in the Global South's Family Planning Programmes: a case of Zambia. In: Broadening Cultural Horizons in Social Marketing: comparing case studies from Asia-Pacific. Springer, Singapore, pp. 181-210

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 90+ research outputs authored by Prof Maxine Whittaker from 1990 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Strengthening community empowerment approaches to Aedes species mosquito management in a high-income country setting: comparative case studies within Queensland, Australia. (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• Developing Local Models to Strengthen and Improve Capacity in Health Research in Melanesia (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• Improving Digital Health Competencies for Health Service Managers in Australia (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• The Engagement and Participation of Faith based Organizations in the Health System Reforms in Soloman Islands (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)

Completed

• 'Making of a strong woman': a constructivist grounded theory on young women's experiences at menarche in Papua New Guinea (2021, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Constructing the contraceptive decision-making process: a framework for family planning programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. A Zambian case study (2020, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• An investigation of the barriers to infectious disease interventions in Indigenous Australian communities (2019, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.