Jane Paterson joins Rural Health Education Foundation board
July 8, 2009Jane Paterson, a senior manager at Merck Sharp & Dohme Australia, has joined the Rural Health Education Foundation’s board of directors. Ms Paterson officially began her new role as a Foundation director on Wednesday July 7th. She replaces Zarli French, another senior executive at Merck Sharp & Dohme, on the Foundation board.
“I’m extremely happy to have Jane join me and the five other directors on the Foundation’s board,” said Foundation Chair Dr Brian Bowring. “Jane has demonstrated a strong interest in the delivery of healthcare services to disadvantaged communities, which aligns very well with the Foundation’s values and mission.”
“I’m sure Jane’s breadth of experience in the commercial sector will prove beneficial to the Foundation,” Dr Bowring said. “I’m also delighted to continue a board-level relationship with our major corporate sponsor, Merck Sharp & Dohme, a company which was instrumental in establishing the Foundation and has continued to provide an annual untied educational grant to the Foundation each year. I would also like to thank Zarli French for her long and devoted service to the Foundation.”
Jane is currently responsible for Corporate & External Affairs at Merck Sharp & Dohme. Since joining the company in 1993 she has held a diverse range of roles in New Zealand and Australia including Marketing Manager, Commercial Manager, Clinical Research Manager and Regional Business Manager.
Ms Paterson is also the Merck Sharp & Dohme representative for the Collaboration for Health in PNG, a public-private partnership established in 2003 to build healthcare capacity to address the HIV epidemic in PNG.
Jane is a qualified pharmacist and has earned a Masters in Business Administration and a post-graduate Diploma in Public Health. “I look forward to helping the Foundation strengthen its educational services to Australia’s rural and remote health community,” Ms Paterson said. “I welcome the opportunity to use my skills and experience to assist the Foundation, an organisation I’ve long admired for its positive impact, from a health perspective, on Australia’s remote and disadvantaged communities.”