As we continue to celebrate wonderful women in medicine, today we’re spotlighting one of the people who not only helps make it all happen, but also empowers people on the ground to be better prepared for emergencies. Meet Kate White, Program Manager for Capacity Building in Outbreak Response at UK-Med. Her extensive experience and commitment to humanitarian work helps build strong teams to tackle difficult situations, and sheds light on the inspiring resilience required throughout.
What is capacity building?
Through intensive training and support, we work to empower local health staff with the skills necessary to be better prepared to respond to outbreaks, disasters and other public health crises. By training more local people on the ground with these skills and strategies of approach, we can help build empowered communities that know exactly what to do when disaster strikes.
Get a glimpse into the work that our brilliant training and capacity building team does in the UK, as well as on responses out in the field.
Here’s what we learned from speaking to Kate.
What do you do?
Kate White is the Program Manager for Capacity Building in Outbreak Response at UK-Med, a role she describes as “challenging but incredibly rewarding”. As a Registered Nurse and Public Health Specialist trained in Australia, Kate currently supports local organisations in Ethiopia, Lebanon, Pakistan and South Sudan, equipping them to respond to major communicable disease outbreaks (illnesses that spread from one person to another or from an animal to a person, or from a surface or a food) like cholera and diphtheria.
“I have been working in the Humanitarian sector for 15 years while also continuing to maintain my licence to practise in Australia” she explains. She also tells us how she has “responded to most major humanitarian emergencies from conflict zones in NE Syria, Iraq and Ethiopia to the Rohingya Crisis in Bangladesh in 2017 and every Ebola outbreak in the last 10 years” highlighting her depth of experience and highly valuable expertise in this field.
Why and how did you get into this career and specifically working with UK-Med?
As a nurse in Australia, Kate tells us that she “always had a passion for delivering equitable healthcare for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds”, particularly to marginalised First Nations’ communities. Kate was inspired to contribute more by “seeing how even in high-income settings, people can be marginalised from mainstream society through no fault of their own“. She then travelled to Nepal in 2009 to contribute to a disaster risk reduction plan in the event of an earthquake that in turn, pushed her to pivot her career to global health.
After working in the humanitarian health sector for 15 years, Kate was drawn to UK-Med after seeing response work in Bangladesh and Ukraine. She explains it was “not only [UK-Med’s] capacity to dramatically scale up in an emergency, but to change their implementation model to be flexible and truly meet the health needs of the population. This ability for innovation and creativity in the midst of a crisis is unique and very rewarding”. This approach resonated with Kate’s own beliefs, and highlights the opportunity for positive change through attentive, resourceful and innovative ways of handling global emergency situations.
What’s your experience deploying with UK-Med and what are you most proud of?
Kate explains how “incredibly proud [she] is that we have been able to run such diverse health programming across multiple locations, [treating] everything from chronic diseases like diabetes to complex surgical cases”. Especially grateful for the community bonds formed during these missions, Kate tells us that “to work with a group of extraordinary colleagues including those who come from Gaza and are displaced themselves, is incredibly moving”. She highlights “it’s about more than just providing medical care in places like Gaza. It’s about being there for your fellow human and showing them that they are not alone” reinstating the importance of support and community as a beacon of light in times of darkness.
Despite the difficult situations and circumstances our teams operate within, Kate acknowledges “the relationships that we build with our local staff, patients and communities can also show the best of humanity.” She also fondly remembers sharing a meal prepared by their driver, a former chef, which brought a moment of joy amidst the chaos. “This simple act of sharing a meal round a table brought us together and created a moment of laughter and human connection on what was otherwise a difficult day” reminding her of “the beauty in humanity rather than the devastation of war”.
What’s one piece of advice you’d tell your younger self or someone wanting to go into this professional space?
Kate touches on the emotional complexities of humanitarian work and the importance of preparedness for those entering the field. “Culture shock is talked about a lot when you work in this sphere, travelling from your home society to a new one”, she tells us. “I wish someone had told me the worst form of culture shock is upon return home, you will experience things which people will struggle to understand and it is important you are kind to yourself and create your own peer support network who can listen and understand”. Her guidance underscores the intense nature of humanitarian work, not just on the field but also on a personal level in the ways it can inevitably alter your perspective on life. Cultivating a strong and supportive network at home to help reintegrate into the day-to-day is crucial.
Kate White’s story is a hopeful testament to the transformative impact of healthcare professionals in the humanitarian sector and the importance of training local people on the ground to become better prepared to respond to emergencies. Knowing what to do in an emergency is one of the most valuable skills in this sphere. Her perspectives not only highlight the challenges one may face, but also the special moments of joy and fulfilment through positive impact. Her insights and experiences inspire us to look beyond borders and see the world as a community that we are all part of, regardless of the complexities of humanity which tend to divide us today. Through this lens, we can gain a deeper understanding of the true potential and scope of healthcare, as a means to heal, connect and inspire hope across the globe.
We want to thank Kate White for sharing her insights and experiences with UK-Med, as well as her dedicated efforts to empower others out in the field.
UK-Med teams have now treated over 8,000 people in Gaza using mobile clinics, our field hospital and surgical support. To continue offering life and limb-saving medical aid, we need your support too.
