Rachel Coghlan is a public health professional with over 20 years post-qualification experience gained in clinical practice, and in international public health research, policy and advocacy. Rachel has completed a Doctor of Philosophy at the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, Deakin University. Her research explores the place of palliative care in humanitarian emergencies and crises, with a focus on armed conflict settings. Rachel has recently returned from undertaking a Fulbright Scholarship in Non-Profit Leadership at the Center for Humanitarian Health, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA. She founded and convenes a humanitarian interagency working group on palliative care in humanitarian crises. Rachel holds an Adjunct position with the School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University. 

Rachel also currently works in palliative care and oncology as a physiotherapist at Calvary Health Care Bethlehem and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. She is a Board Director of Palliative Care Australia.