Born: Unknown, Tuvalu
Died: 27 September 2020
Country most active: Tuvalu
Also known as: NA
Gynecologist and obstetrician Miliama Simeona was one of the first women from Tuvalu to qualify as a doctor, the other being Nese Ituaso-Conway. The two women were awarded scholarships to study at Townsville Cathedral School, and went on to complete their Bachelor’s degrees at the Fiji School of Medicine. After graduating, Simeona worked for a year as an intern at Suva’s main hospital, returned to Tuvalu in 1999 and began to practice medicine as a medical officer with the Ministry of Health, but went back to the Fiji School of Medicine in 2001 to earn her post graduate diploma in obstetrics and gynecology. From 2002 to 2011, she was an OB-GYN at Princess Margaret Hospital (Funafuti), then served as Executive Director for the Tuvalu Family Health Association from April 2011 to November 2016. She also helped develop the 2010 Tuvalu Standard Treatment Guidelines.