Sharuna Verghis

Dr. Sharuna Verghis is a Senior Lecturer at the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia. Her expertise spans migration and health, public health systems, access to healthcare, and community-based interventions. She holds a doctoral degree focused on maternal health access for urban refugee women, integrating international human rights law and public health. She has held leadership roles, including Regional Coordinator of CARAM-Asia, and has extensive experience in HIV and mobility research across Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Research Interests

• Migration and health (forced migration, labor migration, trafficking)
• Health systems and policy
• Community mental health and task-shifting strategies
• Right-to-health monitoring
• Participatory research methods

Recent Projects

• WISH: Comparative study on women migrants' health post-COVID-19 (Malaysia/Thailand)
• FOSTER: Feasibility of refugee-centered self-testing for COVID-19
• PARSEL: SEL program for refugee children's resilience and education

Awards

Recipient of the 2023 ICOPH Session Best Presentation award for work on migrant health interventions.

Media Contributions

Regular contributor to expert commentaries on healthcare equity, including critiques of Malaysia's medical insurance policies and advocacy for refugee health rights.