Caroline McElnay
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McElnay in 2020
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| Director of Public Health | |
| In office 2016–2022 | |
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| Born | Bushmills, Northern Ireland |
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| Occupation | Public health official |
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Caroline Ann McElnay QSO (/ˈmæk.ɪlˌneɪ/) is a medical officer in New Zealand.[1] She was the director of public health for the New Zealand Ministry of Health from 2016 to 2022, and chaired the Pandemic Influenza Technical Advisory Group, which advises the Ministry on matters concerning the control of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand.[2]
McElnay, one of seven children, grew up on a farm in Bushmills, Northern Ireland.[3] She studied medicine at Queen's University Belfast and then public health at the University of Manchester.[4] During her studies in Manchester she completed a one-year exchange in New Zealand, including six months in Napier.[5]
She was appointed director of population health for Hawke's Bay District Health Board. She advocated for health equity in the region and in 2014 she published a major report on the subject.[5] While at the board she was involved in the response to Havelock North's gastro outbreak, the first case of the SARS virus in New Zealand and a listeria outbreak.[2]
McElnay was appointed to the role of director of public health at the Ministry of Health in 2016.[2]
McElnay's resignation as director of public health was announced to Ministry of Health staff in February 2022. Her last day in the role was 7 April.[6]
In the 2023 New Year Honours, McElnay was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order, for services to public health.[7]
McElnay later moved with her husband to Napier in 1995.[3] She has three children.[4]
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