Prof Nelson Martins
Senior Technical Advisor
Qualifications:
Postdoctoral Fellowship-Training, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, 2007 Postdoctoral Fellowship-Training Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, 2007 PhD, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, 2007 Master in Health Management, University of Newcastle, 2002 Graduate Certificate Population Health University of Newcastle, Australia, 2002 Medical Doctor (Dokter Umum), University of Padjadjaran, Indonesia, 1998 Bachelor of Medicine, University of Padjadjaran, 1995
Location:
Professor Nelson is a Senior Technical Advisor at Menzies.
He was the Timor-Leste Minister of Health from June 2007 to August 2012. At the same time, he also held the position as a president of Timor-Leste’s National Commission for HIV/AIDS.
Policy and decision making
Prof Nelson is the creator of SISCa (Integrated Community Health Services) and author of the book, Re-vitalization of Primary Health Care System in Timor-Leste through SISCa. He is also the leading actor in the development of Ministry of Health Cabinet of Health Research and Development (CHRD), and leading policy maker and actor in the process development and writing up the 20 year National Health Strategic Plan (NHSP 2011-2030).
Post conflict experiences and assignments
He was one of the young Timorese doctors who rendered medical service during the conflict, emergency and transitional phases of East Timor’s government. He was the founding director of the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP), and former member of the Interim Health Authority during the United National Transition Government for East Timor (UNTAET).
Research and publications
Prof Nelson was the first Timorese medical doctor to graduate with a PhD from an internationally recognized Australian university, and has attended and presented many papers in various national and international conferences, seminars and workshops. He was engaged in planning, organising and conducting various health research projects including the “First Randomized Control Trial on Food Incentives to improve Tuberculosis Treatment Compliance (FITTCET) in Dili, Timor-Leste. The article has been widely publicised and earned a publication at the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2009. He Has been acting as “Principal Investigator” for a total of 23 health research projects; as Principal Supervisors for 16 Masters; and Field (third) supervisors for 3 PhD Students Research Projects and Thesis Writing.
To date, he has contributed to the writing of 125 manuscripts include, 42 Peer Review Journal and Online articles, 2 books; 44 Abstracts and Papers for national and international Conferences, 10 Health Policy Documents, 27 Research Reports. He has been invited to attend and speak (include plenary speakers) in the 90 high level conferences, seminars, and global events in various countries, include USA, Brazil, Cuba, Germany, Portugal, France, Switzerland, UK, Finland, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Nepal, Philippines, Ethiopia, South-Sudan, Kenya, DR Congo, Togo, Sierra-Leone, , Australia and Timor-Leste.
Research Themes
- Global and Tropical Health
- Tuberculosis
- Health System and Policy
- Primary Health Care
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Martins N, Soares D, Gusmao C, Nunes M, Abrantes L, Valadares D, et al. (2024) A qualitative exploration of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender-based violence against women living with HIV or tuberculosis in Timor Leste. PLoS ONE 19(8): e0306106. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0306106
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Jennifer Yan, Nelson Martins, Salvador Amaral, Joshua R Francis, Barbara Kameniar, Clare Delany. Nothing without connection”–participant perspectives and experiences of mentorship in capacity building in Timor-Leste. PLOS Global Public Health , March 2024. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002112
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Joshua R Francis , Rui Maria de Araujo, Odete da Silva Viegas,Sergio Lobo, Danina Coelho, Arvind Mathur, Vinay Bothra, Dongbao Yu, Anthony D K Draper, Jennifer Yan, Martins N. The response to COVID-19 in Timor-.Leste: lessons learnt. BMJ-OPEN ,/09/2023 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013573
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Martins N, Caetano Gusmao, Dirce Soares, Meri Laot, Salvador Amaral, Julia Messner , Jennifer Yan, Joshua Reginald Francis. Strengthening Health Research and Ethics Systems in Timor Leste AQ2 Policy and Practice. 2023 WHO South-East Asia J Public Health | 29/09/2023
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Martins N, Caetano Gusmao, Jorge Martins, Odete Viegas : Timor-Leste: a primary health care case study in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 15/08/2023. WHO-Primasys website. Retrived from : https://ahpsr.who.int/publications/i/item/timor-leste-a-primary-health-care-case-study-in-the-context-of-the-covid-19-pandemic
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Martins, N. & Trevena, L.J. (2014). Implementing what works. The experience of primary health care revitalisation. A developing country example from Timor-Leste". Journal of Asia Pacific Family Medicine, 13(5). http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1447-056X-13-5.pdf
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Martins, N.& Hawkins, Z. (2012). Striving For Better Health Through Health Research In Post-Conflict Timor-Leste. Health Research Policy and Systems, 10(13). doi:10.1186/1478-4505-10-13.
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Martins, N., Morris, P., Kelly, P.M. (2009). Food incentives to improve completion of tuberculosis treatment: randomised controlled trial in Dili, Timor-Leste. BMJ, 339: b4248. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b4248
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Martins, N., Grace, J., Kelly, P.M. (2008). An ethnographic study of barriers to and enabling factors for tuberculosis treatment adherence in Timor Leste. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease,12(5): 532-7. PMID: 18419889.\
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Martins, N., Kelly, P.M., Grace, J., Zwi, A. (2006). Reconstructing tuberculosis services after major conflict: experiences and lessons learned in East Timor. PLOS Medicine, 3(10): e383. DOI: 10.1371/journal: pmed.0030383.