The Ministry of Health has celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of a nursing fellowship designed to strengthen healthcare leadership and improve the quality of patient care across the Kingdom.

The inaugural University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)–Tonga Ministry of Health Quality Improvement Fellowship began in 2025 as a collaboration between the UCSF Center for Global Nursing and Tonga’s Ministry of Health.

Image: MOH

The nine-month programme combined an intensive in-person workshop in Tonga with monthly virtual mentoring sessions, supporting nurse leaders to develop and implement locally focused healthcare improvement projects.

The fellowship was established by Tonga’s Chief Nursing Officer Mele Inu Filise, together with UCSF’s Dr Rebecca Silvers and Dr Adam Cooper, to build nursing leadership capacity and strengthen quality improvement practices within Tonga’s health system.

Over the course of the programme, the first cohort worked on projects addressing key health priorities, including diabetes care, human papillomavirus (HPV) education and vaccination, medication safety, and nursing student training and clinical education.

The Ministry of Health said the graduates had demonstrated leadership and innovation through their projects, creating a foundation for continued improvements in healthcare delivery.

The eight inaugural fellows represented nursing educators and leaders from across Tonga, including Tongatapu, ‘Eua, Vava‘u, and Tonga National University facilities.

Following the graduation ceremony, the ministry launched the second fellowship cohort. Members of the first cohort will return as coaches and mentors, helping to support future participants and ensure the programme continues to be locally driven.

The Ministry of Health said it plans to expand the initiative into a multidisciplinary programme in the future, extending quality improvement training beyond nursing to support wider health system development in Tonga.