Adjunct Professor Monina Hernandez is a multi-awarded ICN-CGFNS certified global nurse consultant for policy, education and infection prevention and control (IPC), academic, researcher, mentor and health and human rights advocate with a strong background in nursing regulation, governance, policy and standards development, emergency response and curriculum design. Monina is 2023 UN Institute of Training and Research global diplomacy fellow, a board member of the Victorian chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honour Society of Nursing, and Australian College of Nursing Law and Regulation Faculty Deputy Chairperson. She works as Victorian regional IPC manager and holds statutory appointments in health. Monina moved from New Zealand in 2022 where she served as board member of the Nursing Council of NZ (2018-2022), the regulatory authority underpinned by the Health Practitioners’ Competence Assurance Act, as elected director of the NZ Nurses Organisation and as NZ Labour Party’s 2020 parliamentary candidate where she led NZLP’s party vote win, gaining 40% of East Coast Bays votes. In 2023, Monina received a COVID-19 Response Recognition Award from the NZ Prime Minister for her IPC role in the pandemic response and was recognised by the Ministry for Ethnic Communities as one of 2021 Top Diverse Board-Ready Directors.