Role Call - People on the move and gaining recognition in the health sector

The Ministry of Health will get a new director of public health next month. He is Nicholas Jones, health improvement and equity clinical director at Te Whatu Ora Te Matau a Māui (Hawke’s Bay).

Dr Jones’ new role gives him oversight of the Public Health Agency and the National Public Health Service.

He joined Hawke’s Bay DHB in 2009 as a public health doctor and medical officer of health, later leading the health response to the Havelock North campylobacter outbreak and being pivotal to the local COVID-19 response.

The National Public Health Service’s inaugural regional directors have been announced, to work under new national director Nick Chamberlain.

They include Hayden McRobbie in the northern region (Northland, Waitematā, Auckland and Counties Manukau).

A public health physician with a PhD in medical psychology, Dr McRobbie has been director, strategy, planning and funding at Lakes DHB, is a professor at UNSW Sydney and has held key roles in smoking cessation.

Natasha White, also a public health doctor, is moving from being one of three public health deputy directors-general in the ministry to the National Public Health Service.

Dr White’s role is regional director for Te Manawa Taki (Waikato, Lakes, Bay of Plenty and Tairāwhiti). While her substantive role remains deputy director-general, she is on special leave in the UK as interim deputy director response for the UK Health Security Agency, established as part of the English public health system reform in 2021.

Prior to this she was chief of staff at Public Health England. An interim director will be appointed to cover the role at Te Manawa Taki until Dr White returns in October.

The new National Public Health Service’s regional director, central – covering MidCentral, Whanganui, Capital & Coast/Hutt Valley, Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa – is Helen Leahy.

Ms Leahy (Ngāi Tahu) has recently finished a term of more than seven years as pou ārahi/chief executive of Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, the commissioning agency for whānau ora in the South Island.

She has worked in policy and in parliamentary services, including for Te Pāti Māori, and has degrees in education and English literature.

Vince Barry is regional director for the National Public Health Service’s Te Waipounamu region (Canterbury/West Coast, Nelson Marlborough, Southern, South Canterbury).

Mr Barry is a former Canterbury DHB manager who was then chief executive of Pegasus Health PHO from 2008 until earlier this year. He held a secondment to the then interim Health New Zealand and more recently had a temporary role as interim director outbreak response.

Psychiatrist Andrew Darby began last month as clinical director – primary/secondary mental health and addictions at the then Waikato DHB (now Te Whatu Ora Waikato).

The new role recognises the need to improve mental health and addictions services across the primary and secondary continuum, said a DHB media release.

Dr Darby remains clinical director for the alcohol and drug service and area director, substance abuse and compulsory treatment.

The media release notes that support provided to GPs via the primary care psychiatry liaison role will not change.