Milena Dalton
Deputy Head, International Development; Co-Head, Immunisation and Health Systems Strengthening
Working groups
Background
Milena has over 13 years of experience in health systems strengthening, public health research and program management with a focus on immunisation, reproductive, maternal and child health.
She has worked in Vietnam, the United Kingdom, the United States, Ukraine, across Africa and in Papua New Guinea developing, coordinating, and executing international projects for non-governmental organisations, United Nations agencies and governmental institutions.
From 2019 to 2022 she led a multi-donor program to increase routine immunisation coverage for children under one in 12 provinces across Papua New Guinea.
Her prior roles have included coordinating non-communicable disease implementation science research for NYU Langone, where she worked closely with public health professors, doctors and community health workers in the US, Sudan, Ghana and Kenya. For UNICEF, Milena worked as part of the monitoring and evaluation team with the UN Commission on Life Saving Commodities for Women and Children to increase access to life saving commodities in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia.
Qualifications
- 2017: Master of Public Health, Global Health Specialisation, New York University, New York
- 2010: Bachelor of Arts, International Studies with Honours, RMIT University, Melbourne
Appointments
- Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance Steering Committee Member
Awards
- 2024: Margaret Harrison Parental Leave Fellowship
- Vice Chancellor’s List Award for Academic Excellence, RMIT University
Positions
- 2025: Co-Head, Immunisation and Health Systems Strengthening, Burnet Institute
- 2023–present: Deputy Discipline Head, International Development, Burnet Institute
- 2022–present: Senior Research Fellow, Immunisation and Health Systems Strengthening, Burnet Institute
- 2020: Senior Manager, Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health, Abt Associates - Australia, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and Melbourne, Australia
- 2019: Immunisation Program Manager, Abt Associates - Australia, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and Melbourne, Australia
- 2017: Program Coordinator, Section for Global Health, Department of Population Health, NYU Langone Health, New York
- 2017: Consultant, Alive & Thrive / FHI 360, New York
- 2016: Consultant, UN World Food Programme, Madagascar and New York
- 2016: Consultant, UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children at UNICEF, New York
- 2016: Consultant, World Altering Medicine, Lilongwe, Malawi
- 2013: Business Development Manager, Melbourne Convention Bureau of Australia, New York
- 2011: Project Assistant, Alive & Thrive / FHI 360, Hanoi, Vietnam
Reports and other work
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Reaching zero-dose and under-immunised children in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea: formative data collection study results
This document contains data collected on child immunisation in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
Reaching zero-dose and under-immunised children in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea: formative data collection study results
Burnet publications
View 3 moreUsing Measles Outbreaks to Identify Under-Resourced Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Predictive Model
Vaccines
Gabrielle P. D. MacKechnie et al
Factors Associated with Timely First-Dose Pentavalent and Measles–Rubella Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea
Vaccines
Milena Dalton et al
A Framework for Assessing the Impact of Outbreak Response Immunization Programs
Diseases
Dominic Delport et al
Current projects
Reaching unvaccinated children in Solomon Islands
In partnership with the Solomon Islands government, we aim to increase vaccine coverage for unvaccinated children by 25%.
Working with communities to vaccinate children in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea
We’re working with local communities in East New Britian province, Papua New Guinea, to reach unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children.
