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Connection, Talanoa, and Upskilling: The beginning of a summer of Pacific Research.

Pūtahi Manawa’s inaugural Pacific Summer Research programme, Fatu Malosi, began last month with a fonotaga welcoming 15 students at Vaughan Park Retreat Centre, Long Bay, in Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland. 

Pūtahi Manawa Summer Research Programmes
The Summer Student Research Programmes provide opportunities for Māori and Pasifika students studying health at a tertiary level to participate in a research programme over the summer holidays. The students will be interested in developing their skills, knowledge, and networks and contributing to supporting our whānau, hapū, iwi, and Pasifika communities on their heart health journey. Pūtahi Manawa Co-Director Pacific, Soteria Ieremia said, “We are excited about the legacy Kura Raumati and Fatu Malosi will bring to our Maori and Pasifika youth.“

Find out more about our 2024-5 Summer Research programmes.

What does Fatu Malosi offer students?

  • The opportunity to meet/network/interact with other heart health researchers and their work.
  • We offer a generous stipend of NZD 9,000
  • We provide workshops as requested for students to learn key skills relevant to their research project. All members of Pūtahi Manawa have any-time access to the invaluable series of webinars in our Member Portal.

  • We meet with our cohort weekly to check in and address any concerns/support students pastorally, as needed. 

     

2024-5 Fatu Malosi welcome fonotaga

Pūtahi Manawa Pou Tikanga and local iwi representative, Joe Pihema Ngāti Whatua, welcomed students, their families, and supervisors with wisdom and gems for the students, exuding mana and depth to the beginning of the Fatu Malosi programme. 

Soteria Ieremia, Pūtahi Manawa Pacific co-director, welcomed students and imparted her knowledge and experience of what Pacific students can learn and contribute to the research space. Guest speaker Dr Sandra Hanchard shared her skills and experience to uplift and inspire the students. 

The students spent time on the first day building relationships and sharing their projects. Moana Connect provided students with in-depth workshops on Pacific Worldviews, Social Theories, and Pacific Data Sovereignty on Day 2 of the fonotaga. Pūtahi Manawa provided more research skills workshops on day 3, and the students said their goodbyes to each other and returned home to begin the hard work. Students are now undertaking their research projects and will conclude by coming back together and presenting their findings, experiences, and insights to each other, their supervisors and their communities in February 2025.

 

Research Projects

The students and their dedicated supervisors are covering an exciting and poignant array of topics:

  • Technologies that empower patients to manage their chronic cardiovascular conditions.
  • Investigating a potential association of a genetic variant in the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) with diabetes.
  • Gout content analysis on TikTok.
  • Measuring subjective well-being according to Pacific Models of Health.
  • Increasing community research literacy on cardiometabolic genetic research among Pacific peoples.
  • Exploring CVD risk after pregnancies complicated by diabetes and/or preeclampsia in Pacific women.
  • Understanding barriers to attending clinic appointments for cardiac ultrasounds in Waitematā.
  • Investigating whether a loss of ‘hunger’ hormone increases CVD risk in Pacific peoples.
  • Characterising the molecular differences in carotid bodies and placental tissues (Rodents).
  • Flower power to lower blood pressure in hypertension.
  • Investigating the potential association of a genetic variant in the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) with diabetes.
  • Wahine experiences in atrial fibrillation in Aotearoa.
  • A Closer Look at Heart Failure: CK2 Phosphorylation and RyR2 Clusters.

Find out more about our 2024-5 supervisors and students.

2025 Pasifika Medical Association Conference

Nuseta Hope, Fatu Malosi co-lead, presented our Fatu Malosi programme to attendees at the Pasifika Medical Association Conference at the end of November, elevating the programme to an engaged audience.

Pūtahi Manawa is on the lookout for Pacific supervisors for our 2025-6 summer research projects. A key message from Nuseta and Fatu Malosi co-lead Julie Winter-Smith is that you do not need to be a researcher to participate in Fatu Malosi as a supervisor – "we can link you to researchers to support your work and supervision of a Fatu Malosi student."

"We want to support Pacific community champions, community organisations, researchers and clinicians/non-clinicians working in any sector on a piece of work that will contribute to achieving heart health equity for Pacific peoples."

If you are interested in learning more about our Fatu Malosi programme or becoming a supervisor, please get in touch!