Dr Josephine Herman

Dr Josephine Herman is a public health physician, general practitioner and epidemiologist and is the current Director of Pacific Health at Waitemata District Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand. She is a former Secretary for Health of the Cook Islands and help lead the Cook Islands COVID-19 pandemic response in 2020. focusing on building public health and preparedness capacities among communities. Dr Herman was responsible for coordinating the government’ s response to the 2019 outbreak of dengue fever on the Cook Islands. She has frequently spoken about the impacts of climate change including rising sea levels, increasingly frequent extreme weather events, and of the need to build climate resilient health systems in the Cook Islands. Dr Josephine Herman will contribute to the CCE TAG with her extensive knowledge on public health and preparedness capacities.