Professor Caroline Homer AO
Deputy Director – Gender Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; Co-Head, Global Women's and Newborn Health; Co-Head, Immunisation and Health Systems Strengthening
Background
Professor Caroline Homer AO is the leading midwifery researcher in Australia and has an international reputation as a scholar and leader in maternal and newborn health care and service delivery.
She obtained her PhD in 2001 and since then has led research and development projects in Australia and internationally especially in relation to health services delivery, reproductive, maternal and newborn care, human resources for health workforce development and midwifery education. She has more than 30 years of experience in the sector – as a clinician, educator, researcher and leader.
Listen to Professor Homer on Episode 6 of our How Science Matters Podcast below.
Qualifications
- 2008: MMedSc (Clin Epi), University of Sydney, Australia
- 2001: PhD, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
- 1997: MNurs, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Appointments
- Advisory Board Member, Franklin Women (2024-current)
- Co-Chair, Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing National Expert Advisory Executive, Development of National Pregnancy Guidelines (2008-current)
- Chair, NHMRC Council (2021-2023), Member (2018-2021) Ministerial appointment
- Deputy Chair, Australian Medical Research Advisory Committee (AMRAB) for the Medical Research Future Fund (2021-2023)
- Inaugural Chair, WHO's Strategic and Technical Advisory Group of Experts (STAGE) for Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health, and Nutrition (2020-2022) - appointed by the WHO Director General
- Member: WHO’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) for the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (2020-2022)
Awards
- 2023: Frank Fenner Award
- 2022: NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award
- 2022: Honorary Fellowship, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- 2019: Women’s Hospitals Australasia – Medal of Distinction
- 2017: Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Awards
- 2013: Australian College of Midwives’ Inaugural Writing Prize named the Caroline Homer Writing Prize in acknowledgement of contribution to academic writing and publication on the midwifery profession
- 2013: Awarded Life Membership of Australian College of Midwives (NSW Branch)
- 2012: UTS Alumni Award for Excellence 2012 - Faculty of Health
- 2011: Winner: Researcher Development (including Supervision) Award. UTS Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Research Excellence.
Positions
- 2022: Deputy Director – Gender Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Burnet Institute
- 2018: Co-Program Director, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, Burnet Institute
- Co-Head, Global Women’s and Newborn Health group, Burnet Institute
- Co-Head, Immunisation and Health Systems Strengthening group, Burnet Institute
- Visiting Professorial roles: University of Technology Sydney, Monash University, Deakin University and the University of Melbourne, Australia, Cardiff University Wales, UK, King’s College London, UK
Reports and other work
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Covid-19 Global Trends and Analysis - Global Epidemiology and Global Snapshots. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
Covid-19 Global Trends and Analysis - Global Epidemiology and Global Snapshots. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT) -
COVID-19 and its impacts on primary health services and public health infectious disease programs in Papua New Guinea. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
The global total number of reported cases is 184 million and the grim milestone of four million deaths has been reached. The cumulative number of cases is equivalent to 23.5 per 1,000 population.
COVID-19 and its impacts on primary health services and public health infectious disease programs in Papua New Guinea. (PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT)
Burnet publications
View 229 moreImproving quality of maternal and newborn care: An evaluation of enablers and barriers in implementing emergency obstetric and newborn care training in Bhutan and Lao People’s Democratic Republic
PLOS Global Public Health
Sabera Turkmani et al
Effectiveness of education and training programmes to help clinicians assess and classify perineal tears: a systematic review
BMJ Open
Grace Simpson et al
Impact of working in continuity of care models on Australian midwives: A scoping review
Women and Birth
Michelle Hobday et al
Current projects
View 8 more
Understanding the needs of multicultural communities (VOICE partnership)
Strengthening midwifery education: transformative agenda for women, adolescents and youth in the Pacific
We're reviewing and renewing midwifery education curricula in Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu.
Global maternal and newborn health platform
We're gathering data on the care provided to women as well as asking women about their experiences.
Past projects
View 8 moreNeeds assessment for skilled birth attendants (SBAs) in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV countries)
The project aims to assess further education and training for CLMV countries to increase the number of accredited Skilled Birth Attendants
Implementing the WHO Labour Care Guide to reduce the use of Caesarean section in four hospitals in India
We're helping implement the World Health Organization's (WHO) Labour Care Guide into four hospitals in India.
WHO recommendations on antenatal corticosteroids and tocolytics
We supported updates to the World Health Organization’s recommendations on the use of certain medications to improve preterm birth outcomes.
News and features
View 25 moreWorld Health Day 2025: healthy beginnings, hopeful futures
On World Health Day, we're emphasising how healthy beginnings for mothers and babies lead to hopeful futures.
Calling for action to support women around the world this International Women’s Day
