Karen Walker, Council of International Neonatal Nurses (COINN)

Karen Walker is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney and is the Neonatal Clinical Nurse Consultant at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia. As a neonatal nurse for over 30 years, she has extensive state, national and international collaborations. She is the current President of the Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Past-President of the Australian College of Neonatal Nurses, a founding member of the Alliance for Global Neonatal Nurses and a board member of the new Global Alliance for Newborn Care, a parent-led organization that aims to create, empower and support a global parent voice in each region of the world. She is passionate about improving health outcomes across the lifespan, decreasing maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity, ensuring equitable access to universal health care and education, and supporting and advocating for neonatal nurses. This includes health workforce strengthening, advocacy on health policy and the impact on disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Karen co-authored the recent World Health Organization (WHO) publication “Human resources for health: Strategies for improving neonatal care capacity in facility settings in low- and middle-income countries”. She is also working on the revision of the WHO/United Nations Children’s Fund Every Newborn Action Plan and the care of the small and sick education modules for WHO. Karen has published widely and is an invited national and international speaker.