J’Belle Foster, holding dual Australian and USA citizenship, is a dedicated Nursing Director and PhD Scholar. She has a deep commitment to translational research, specialising in tuberculosis (TB) in remote primary healthcare settings. Her journey in public health began after she achieved her Master of Public Health & Master of International Public Health, leading her to impactful roles across the globe.

Her professional experience includes significant contributions to TB care and research. Initially, J’Belle worked in Nepal with the Nepal Red Cross Society and a NGO, where she played a pivotal role in managing health camps in remote areas and Directly Observed Therapy programs for patients with TB. Her dedication to combating TB led her to field manage an active TB case finding study with the Tibetan refugee population, in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Center for TB Research and the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, India.

J’Belle’s expertise was further recognized in Australia when she was appointed as the TB Clinical Nurse Consultant for the Queensland Department of Health. Supported by the Queensland Chief Health Officer in 2014, she embarked on a groundbreaking journey to the Torres Strait Islands, spearheading a Federally funded TB project across the Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea (PNG) border. Here, she identified significant gaps in TB service delivery, which propelled her to write a business proposal and successfully secure funding to establish Australia’s first TB Control Unit situated within an Indigenous community.

In 2023, J’Belle made a significant contribution to the field of public health by submitting her PhD thesis. Her research focused on the epidemiological profile of TB among the Torres Strait/PNG border population, aiming to inform local policy changes for enhanced patient outcomes. Through her work, J’Belle aims to achieve better diagnostics, increased collaboration, and overall improved management of TB, ultimately saving lives and transforming healthcare delivery.