Emily Ragus
2021
Judith Neilson Foundation John Monash Scholar 'Cross Sectoral'
PhD in Public Health, Humanities and Gender equity
University of Amsterdam
Medicine and Health
Emily Ragus has dedicated her career to work towards a more equitable future. She has a Bachelor of Nursing from Queensland University of Technology, an International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance from Fordham University in New York City and is currently completing a Masters of Global Development at Griffith University in Brisbane. Her professional background includes 15 years emergency nursing, as well as previously working as a remote area nurse, a helicopter trauma retrieval nurse and the coordinator for the Queensland Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT). Currently based in South East Asia with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Emily teaches first aid and pandemic control measures to vulnerable groups as a Pre-Hospital Health Delegate. In 2016, Emily was part of the health response that was activated for a mass casualty event that occurred in the Indo-Pacific in which she noted the need for improved aeromedical cohesion with other responding agencies within a disaster. This led Emily to pursue, and subsequently awarded, the 2018 Winston Churchill fellowship. The research from her fellowship demonstrated to her the vulnerabilities that women face during a disaster. These same vulnerabilities have been witnessed throughout 2020, a year synonymous with health disasters which includes significant surges in domestic violence in Australia. With her John Monash Scholarship, Emily intends to complete a PhD in utilisation of gender empowerment theory within disasters promoting equality as a health diplomacy tool for Australia.