There’s a lot going on in the world right now. But, amidst all the chaos, there are people doing incredible things that’ll completely restore your faith in humanity.
Griffith University alumni Emily Ragus is one of those folks.
Having worked as an emergency nurse for 15 years, she’s spread her helping hands all over the globe. Emily has provided management to the Jordanian Civil Defence, performing health assessments on the bomb-affected hospitals in Azerbaijan, working in a refugee camp in Borneo, and recently project managed the implementation of an ambulance service in Ukraine. On top of this, she’s also set up a surgical camp in the remote Ugandan village of Jinja, which is currently impacted by Ebola.
It’s hard to believe just one person is capable of all that amazing stuff, so it’s unsurprising as to why she’s been awarded the prestigious Sir John Monash Scholarship, which Emily will be using to study a PhD at Griffith University. As part of her PhD, Emily will be diving into how women will be (and are currently) disproportionately impacted by climate change when it comes to accessing healthcare.
We chatted with Emily to get a little more insight into how she plans to use her knowledge and to find out about her journey from uni student to genuine life-saver.
PTV: What first enticed you to enter the healthcare industry?
Emily: When I was a small child, I was petrified by the AIDS grim reaper adverts that were all over commercial television throughout Australia in the 1990s. This form of advertising really stigmatised sub-sections of the community and seemed to politicise health care.
I grew up in a family with a strong perception of social justice, so the idea that some people would either be stigmatised for accessing health care or couldn’t even access it due to economic, social and political barriers was a genuine concern for me.
Through the idea that health was a human right, I grew a curiosity about all things health; this led to a natural progression into nursing as a profession.
Were there any experiences while studying that shaped your values?
At the time that I was studying, I was working in a refugee camp in Borneo. On a daily basis, I was able to use the theoretical tools that I learnt throughout my Master of Global Development from Griffith. I could perform assessments and implement protocols based on the practical application of the theory I had been taught.
All of it was explained by global leaders in their fields. The best part about the master’s was being able to establish ongoing relationships and mentorships that I still rely on today.
You’ve been awarded the prestigious Sir John Monash Scholarship. Is there anything specific you plan on exploring through your research?
Living in Brisbane, there is little denying that climate change exists. We have had multiple once-in-100-year flooding events, each time leaving large sections of our beautiful city underwater. The influence of floods and other climatic events on human health is becoming increasingly researched and understood — from this, stronger disaster risk adaptation measures are being implemented.
I hope to layer on this preexisting research to explore the role that climate change has on injuries and how they repair, with particular reference to gender. With this research, I hope to equip hospitals and surgical teams with this knowledge so that they can prepare effectively for potential environmental disasters.
You’ve worked extensively overseas to aid people in disaster zones. Can you describe what those experiences have been like?
I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work overseas in a number of different roles within countries that were either vulnerable to environmental disasters or that were experiencing conflict. Most recently, I was part of a team that was setting up an ambulance service in Ukraine. I had previously worked in regions that had experienced conflict in the past. However, this was the first time that I was in an active war zone. This experience differed so much from my previous work, as I could see first-hand the devastation of what occurs during the war and the total senselessness of it.
The knock-on impacts of Ukraine, a war that should never have happened, as being felt all over the world. I was recently in Uganda, working with some surgeons on reconstructive surgeries. Here the cost of living has close to tripled, this is a country that can grow almost anything, but due to globalisation, they heavily rely on the grain that comes out of Ukraine. These disrupted supply chains have skyrocketed food prices within the region.
As I had been in both countries back-to-back, I realised how interconnected this world is and how easily geopolitics influences an individual’s day-to-day survival – even if they live on the other side of the world.
Further to this, you’ve had a huge number of exciting opportunities in your work, including time as a helicopter retrievalist and disaster manager. How did you find these roles, and what’s been the most exciting job you’ve had?
I applied for a new position that was putting emergency and intensive care nurses onto helicopters. The recruitment process was brutal, with medical simulation drills, helicopter evacuation training that was conducted underwater, and lengthy interviews. However, I was finally successful. Through this job, I really felt that I could have a direct community impact, and this was particularly evident when I was part of a team of aeromedical retrievalists who went to a mass casualty event that had occurred internationally involving a number of sick Australian patients. This horrific scenario sparked my interest in humanitarian aid and disaster management.
Fast forward a few years, and I received a Winston Churchill Fellowship to research these aspects, and it was through this that I got a job with the Red Cross. I knew that I had gaps in my knowledge regarding development studies, so I applied and was accepted into Griffith’s Global Development Masters. This program laid a foundation to help me reach the goals that I have been able to do throughout my career.
You have recently worked building a surgical hospital in Uganda – can you tell us about that project?
Every year, more people die from a lack of basic surgical access than HIV, Malaria, and Tuberculosis combined. This equates to 17 million people. When I heard this statistic, I couldn’t believe it, especially when you consider that all these big organisations are pouring development money into public health problems like HIV, but you never hear of surgical NGOs. I then stumbled across an organisation called ANDO modular aid, which is aiming to strengthen surgical care within Uganda. I was drawn to ANDO as they are so different from other NGO models. This surgical hospital is built with a sustainable modular design as a way to easily expand when needed (and we have the finances). The hospital is built, staffed and run by Ugandans and has become a surgical hub within East Africa as an educational exchange for surgical techniques across that region.
At the start of this year, I met a fellow Griffith alumnus, Hannah Licciardo, who wanted to help support ANDO. With this collaboration in mind, I went to Uganda with a team of surgeons from the DRC, Germany, and Uganda, and through this, Hannah coordinated and documented all our social media. The experience was incredible, seeing surgeons from across the region learning from each other, and exchanging ways to treat injuries, from basic scars to major acid burn victims. These are all patients whose lives, with basic access to surgical care, would be completely transformed.
What matters to you most when it comes to your work and community?
Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to work in some really rewarding roles, from helicopter trauma retrieval to being a pre-hospital health delegate in multiple conflict zones, most recently running an ambulance service in Ukraine. These roles were not only incredibly professionally rewarding, but they also shaped who I have become through the experiences and people that I have met.
This ability to be a part of something bigger than me while working with a team towards the provision of a vital health service is really important to me and something that pushes me to keep going when I am in situations that seem so daunting.
If you’re feeling inspired by Emily’s story then make your career matter with Griffith University. If you need a little more inspo, try taking this career quiz to see what study paths would suit you.
