Dr Carole Presern: Learning About Human Experience Beyond Borders

"When I met the great Desmond Tutu, he said 'always remember the face'. I've never forgotten that lesson. So when I am going a speaking engagement or in my daily work, everyone has frustrations at work... but when I'm in that moment, I always remember the face. Whether it's Cuthbert, one of our Guards in Zimbabwe who sadly died, or the woman who first died under my care as a midwife, which is a very traumatic experience for anyone. I will never forget the name or face of this Cambodian lady. There are many others. I always have that front centre because otherwise, it can become very abstract when you're talking millions. I always have to see it on an individual level."  
My guest this episode is Global Health Professional, Dr Carole Presern. With a career in health and diplomacy spanning over three decades and three continents, Carole has dedicated her life to advocating for people who don’t have access to basic healthcare and support. 
Growing up, Carole was captivated by tales of far-flung places. Her career began in London hospitals after training to be a midwife, but it wasn’t long before she ventured overseas to work on the Cambodia/Thailand border after the genocide under Pol Pot. She has since worked in Nepal, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and beyond. 
Carole is currently the Head of Office of Board Affairs of the Global Fund - a 21st-century partnership organization designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics. Prior to this, she held roles in Gavi, a global health partnership committed to increasing access to immunisation in poor countries. She has also served as Counsellor at the UK Mission in Geneva and worked for many years for the UK’s Department for International Development. 
Carole has served on many boards, including the International HIV Alliance and the Orchid Project. She holds a doctorate in public health policy.
Carole is my good friend Julia’s mum. I used to ask her all the time about her Mum, what she did. I am full of admiration for what she’s done in her career, so I am really honoured to have finally had a chance to hear her story directly, and what a story it is. 
We talked all about her early days in London hospitals, the stories of patients that have stayed with her throughout her career, what she has learned about the human experience from being at those intimate moments at the start and end of people’s lives, and what it’s like to have lived a life and career across borders.
Find out more about Carole's work:
The Global Fund (https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/) Orchid Project (https://www.orchidproject.org/)
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