Alumni
- Olivia Lawe-Davies
- 2000
Olivia lives in Geneva and works as the Communications Officer for the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development.
In her role, Olivia works to raise awareness of key issues related to the health and development of children and adolescents globally, and WHO's work in this area through media relations, creation of web content, speech writing and advocacy.
Part of her job involves travel to developing countries to conduct media and advocacy outreach, fact-finding and capacity building. Following the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, Olivia was deployed to liaise with international media on behalf of WHO. She informed the press of the health of the population and what was being undertaken by WHO and its partner agencies to address the challenges.
In 2007, Olivia spent time in the Darfur region of Sudan, gathering information, stories and photographs to report on the progress of WHO programmes to improve the health of children and young people in emergency situations.
Olivia says the most rewarding aspect of her job is working on issues that are universally important, with colleagues who are leaders in their field and have a great deal of knowledge and commitment. She says that one of the most exhilarating moments of career so far “was meeting doctors, nurses, mothers and children in Darfur, and more recently in Port-au-Prince - their bravery, strength and warmth was overwhelming, even in situations of unbelievable adversity.”
Olivia believes that her double-major degree in media & communications and political science from UNSW gave her the skills and qualifications required to perform the various roles she's held during the past decade - “I was very eager to go out into the world and make use of the knowledge I gained at uni -- so much so, that I left the country right after my last exam, even before the graduation ceremony!”
In her final year at UNSW, Olivia worked as a Media Liaison Officer at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games -- an opportunity organised for her by the Faculty. After graduating, Olivia moved to London, where she secured a job with the press office of the New Opportunities Fund. She worked for public affairs consultancies in Brussels for a number of years where she focused on influencing the development of EU policies on public health, development, trade and environment, before joining WHO in late 2006.
In the future Olivia hopes to “have many more opportunities to visit places where there are real challenges to the health of vulnerable populations, and help raise awareness of the issues and generate commitment to addressing them.”
2. Q&A
My childhood was…a lot of fun, with lots of siblings and cousins to play with.
My parents always said...I should be a doctor (as a very young child I used to wake up in the middle of the night and watch operations on TV).
At school, I…loved English and learning foreign languages, but was pretty hopeless at maths and science, so medicine wasn't really an option!
My most significant memory of university is…coffees in the quad after classes with friends and fellow students.
Studying taught me to…be open to lots of new ideas, think, and then decide what to believe, but be ready to re-evaluate all the time.
My greatest experiment while at UNSW…was living in college.
My worst experience while at UNSW…was when my computer swallowed a disk containing several weeks of work the night before the assignment was due.
My most valuable lesson at UNSW was…to always save back-up files!
I made my career choice by…following my instincts -- making choices based on what was most interesting and rewarding at the time.
If I had known then what I know now, I would have…had a better appreciation for how lucky I was to be able to spend years occupied full-time with developing my knowledge and understanding of big issues.
I remember…being very eager to go out into the world and make use of the knowledge I gained at uni -- so much so, that I left the country right after my last exam, even before the graduation ceremony!
The greatest lesson in my career has been…to be flexible and understanding of different perspectives and backgrounds.
My most exhilarating experience so far…was meeting doctors, nurses, mothers and children in Darfur, and more recently in Port-au-Prince - their bravery, strength and warmth was overwhelming, even in situations of unbelievable adversity.
If I could do it again I…would -- in a second. I hope to have many more opportunities to visit places where there are real challenges to the health of vulnerable populations, and help raise awareness of the issues and generate commitment to addressing them.
My greatest achievement…is hopefully ahead of me!
Others say I…'m incapable of mono-tasking -- like most women, at work and at home, I always seem to be doing several things at once!
I most admire…people who use their skills -- whatever they are -- to change lives for the better.
I wish I’d never…given up on music -- I played violin and sang as a child, but quit when the time demands became too much and I had other priorities.
The best piece of advice I have ever been given is…to trust my instincts, and to try to strike a good balance between work and home life -- my husband Lars is wonderfully supportive.
When I’m not at home, I…'m probably in another place that also feels like home -- moving around a lot makes the concept of "home" very fluid, and good friends become like family.
I am happiest when…I'm doing something useful or making someone I love happy.
My greatest unrealised wish is to…live and work in a developing country.
One last thing…I'm really glad I jumped head-first into my career straight after finishing my BA, but now that I have a much better idea of my own interests and chosen field of work, I'm ready to go back to uni. In October I'll be starting a Masters in Public Health with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, while continuing to work at WHO.
