By Keisha Cheung, 2 November, 2026
Georgina Dove’s career has taken her from social work in a community health centre to international public health projects across the Pacific. Now a Senior Consultant and Public Health Specialist at Abt Global, Georgina works across management, policy, service delivery, program design, monitoring and evaluation. Her pathway into public health, however, started with a year in Tonga.
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What led you to a career in public health?
“My career started as a social worker in a community health centre, where I worked with individuals, families and communities. As I moved more into community-based work, it became clear that there are so many synergies between social work and public health."
“A major highlight in my early career was working for one year in Tonga as a community development officer. During this year I realised that I wanted to work in international development and in public health.”
What does a public health specialist do?
“My job is so diverse which is what I love most about it. I really do feel that I work across the core areas of public health, in management, policy, service delivery, and program design, monitoring and evaluation.”
Georgina’s current work includes supporting Ministries of Health in Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu to introduce new vaccines into their routine immunisation schedules.
“Each day brings more people immunised and more health protection for the communities in those countries.”
What’s a day in the life of a public health worker?
“Some days I am interviewing stakeholders as part of a program evaluation that has been commissioned by a client. Other days I may be immersed in conducting a literature review or analysing data.”
“Project management is a large part of my job, so I might be scheduling a project or consultations, or meeting with clients. Writing is also a part of my work most days, whether it’s an activity progress report, a program evaluation report, a policy, or a proposal for new work.”
What inspired you to study public health at QUT?
“I was working in the field of health promotion and wanted to further my knowledge and understanding. QUT was one of few universities that offered postgraduate health promotion at that time.”
Georgina initially completed a graduate diploma in health science majoring in health promotion, before upgrading to a Master of Public Health. The course also gave her the opportunity to take her learning beyond the classroom and return to Tonga, where she had previously worked.
“While studying the Master of Public Health, I had the option to complete an elective project, which brought me back to Tonga, where I had previously worked. I spent my final semester working alongside the Ministry of Health to establish the Health Promoting Schools pilot."
That real-world experience led to friendships and working relationships that continue to this day. I’ve now been working with the Tonga Ministry of Health again for the past seven years.”
Think bigger about where public health can take you. If Georgina’s story has inspired you to take the next step in your public health career, explore QUT’s Master of Public Health. Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) are available for eligible domestic students.