Dr Veena Pillai: global impact grounded in purpose
For Veena, medicine has always been more than a career. It is a vehicle for justice, equity and hope.
Dr Veena Pillai graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 2006. Over nearly two decades since, Veena has built an extraordinary career that blends clinical care, research and humanitarian service, supporting some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
After completing her internship in Far North Queensland, Veena launched an international career that has taken her across Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and her home country of Malaysia.
In Malaysia, her passion for advocacy and research took shape. She worked with the Malaysian Ministry of Health in both urban and rural settings, then joined the Malaysian AIDS Council where she led groundbreaking work on HIV/AIDS and harm reduction. She went on to conduct research and collaborate with agencies such as the World Health Organization, UNHCR and UNICEF.
“Research has been a constant thread throughout my career,” Veena reflects. That thread has led to meaningful contributions in global health, including research ethics, humanitarian response and access to care for marginalised communities. She completed a Master in Disaster Medicine in 2011 and has trained others in humanitarian ethics, gender-based violence response and research with marginalised populations.
Since 2017, Veena has worked with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in multiple countries including Malaysia, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Most recently, she served as Deputy Medical Coordinator during a 13-month assignment in South Sudan. Her fieldwork with MSF has included both frontline medical care and operational leadership in crisis settings.
“Working with MSF has been the most significant highlight of my career. Its values and principles, combined with the direct impact of our work on the ground, make it an extraordinary movement to be a part of.”
In 2019, Veena co-founded Diode Consultancy, an initiative dedicated to research and ethical practice in humanitarian and health sectors. Through Diode, she has led multiple studies, including looking at access to care for refugees, access to birth registration and working on guidelines for Sexual and Reproductive Health in humanitarian crises.
She has authored academic publications, contributed a chapter on research ethics in refugee studies for Oxford University Press, and served as a keynote speaker at the Post Research Ethics Analysis (PREA) conference in the United States. She often returns to a quote by author Arundhati Roy for inspiration: “Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And once you’ve seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out.”
Her work in prison health has included the provision of methadone as part of integrated HIV care – a vital contribution to addressing the intersecting challenges of incarceration, addiction and chronic illness.
Her current role allows her to use her humanitarian experience to contribute to the development of clinical guidance in sexual and reproductive health services in both acute and protracted crises. “It is incredibly fulfilling to use my experience to create something meaningful and lasting for people in need,” she says. “Being able to do this from my beautiful home in Malaysia makes it even more rewarding.”
“It is incredibly fulfilling to use my experience to create something meaningful and lasting for people in need.”
Looking ahead, Veena hopes to continue her work with MSF while balancing global health consulting and research. Her work stands as a powerful example of how one alumna is using her education and experience to make a lasting global impact.