Eleven Māori and Pacific Otago students will get a taste of a career in health research over the summer break, thanks to the Health Research Council of New Zealand.
Each has gained a Summer Studentship, worth $7500, which runs for 10 weeks.
They will be working on projects with topics as varied as Parkinsons, te reo Māori use, addiction recovery, and oral health.
The studentships are designed to provide undergraduates with an opportunity to develop a career in health research by enabling them to develop research skills under the supervision and guidance of experienced senior academics.
Māori Health Research Summer Studentships:
Ariana Drabble, Department of Microbiology and Immunology - Engineering antibodies to enhance anti-cancer therapy
Immunotherapies for cancer treatment, particularly monoclonal antibodies, are pivotal in enhancing immune cell recognition and destruction of cancer cells. Avelumab, an anti- PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, prevents the immunosuppressive interaction between PD-L1 and PD-1 and enables tumour cell destruction via antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC). However, the Avelumab Fc domain is not fully optimised for ADCC by human natural killer (NK) cells. This study aims to engineer Avelumab with mutations to increase its ability to kill breast cancer cells. The hypothesis is that the re- engineered Avelumab will block the PD1/PD-L1 axis as well as exhibit enhanced ADCC activity through increased NK cell activation. The primary research question is whether Fc region mutations in Avelumab enhance its cytotoxic effect on breast cancer.
Isabel Gallagher, Department of Pathology -Role of PA28β isoform in gastric cancer cell function
The proposed study aims to investigate the role of the new PA28β protein variant form in gastric cancer cell function. This protein binds with another to form the PA28 complex which combines with the immunoproteasome to increase its activity. This research aims to understand the biological relevance of the standard and the variant form of the PA28β protein. This project involves techniques such as cell culturing, cell counts and PCR. By undertaking this research, there is potential for better treatment options to be developed, improving the health outcomes for Māori people, who are disproportionately impacted by gastric cancer.
Te Ākauroa Jacob, Department of Biochemistry - AI-assisted protein production for drug discovery
Proteins are essential for life. There are a multitude of different proteins that play many different roles within cells and living organisms. Each protein must be found in the right type of cell, in the right amount, and at the right time otherwise disease can occur. This project focuses on four proteins involved in human cancer called TRIB2, STK40, RNF125 and FZD. Further research on these proteins and their roles is needed. However, studying these proteins in the lab requires them to be made artificially and difficulties are encountered in their production. This project involves using artificial intelligence to design new versions of these proteins. As a result, they can be produced and studied more easily. This is important since there is the potential for new cancer therapies to be developed that target these proteins, which would ultimately improve patient outcomes.
Flynn Macredie, Social Anthropology Programme - He oranga reo he oranga tangata: te reo Māori use at the University of Otago
Māori culture and Māori language are inseparable, with the language itself being generated from, and in turn influencing, the experiences of the people that speak it. 'Manaakitia te Reo' is a project at the University of Otago (UoO) which explores how assessment in te reo Māori not in language learning contexts can be better supported by the University. Māori and non-Māori UoO staff from a variety of departments and backgrounds were interviewed. These are highly motivated individuals working in a colonial system who, in pursuing te reo Māori, are attempting to reinvent themselves by reclaiming culture and language while also reinventing the contexts in which they work. During interviews participants commented on wider experiences of learning and using te reo Māori in their respective contexts. In this summer studentship the connection between te reo Māori and health will be explored using interview data obtained from ‘Manaakitia te Reo’.
Maika Shortland, Faculty of Dentistry - Developing an oral health promotion resource as an outcome of community wānanga
This research builds on findings from an HRC Kanohi Kitea Development Grant. Here, the Porirua community outlined that they would like more educational resources on the relationship between oral health and diabetes. As a result, this project will involve developing an oral health promotion resource that aims to inform adults about oral health and diabetes. The book will be informed specifically by the community wānanga transcripts to ensure that the information is relevant and specific to their needs.
Madison Silcock, School of Physiotherapy - Supporting resource development for Māori living with Parkinsons
Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition that has a significant impact on a person and the lives of their whānau. Very little research has been done exploring the impact for Māori living with Parkinson’s. This summer studentship will be based within a Micheal J. Fox Foundation funded project. The aim of this summer research project is to listen to what participants would like us to do with the knowledge we have gained in the study and how it can be used for participants’ future health and wellbeing. The project will qualitatively analyse the parts of the interviews that discussed this topic. To support acting on these hopes, we will review grey literature for best practice examples of the ways that kaupapa Māori projects have shared research. This project will lead to raising awareness of the experiences of Māori and their whānau living with Parkinson’s.
Analee Toro, Kōhatu - Centre for Hauora Māori - Mandatory Responses to Coronial Recommendations: Aotearoa's Next Step?
Sudden and unexpected deaths are referred to the coroner. A coroner will establish that a person has died, the person’s identity, the causes of death, and the circumstances of death. Coroners are also able to make recommendations that may, in the coroner's opinion, reduce the chances of other deaths occurring in similar circumstances if brought to public attention. Māori are disproportionately represented within the coronial system and, therefore, are disproportionately impacted by its functioning. In the Aotearoa New Zealand context, there is no requirement for coroners’ recommendations to be implemented. Furthermore, there is not a requirement for organisations to respond to any recommendation that is directed to them. This research aims to quantify the number of recommendations for which an organisational response is published, and to analyse characteristics of any such responses in order to contribute to the discourse around a legislative requirement for mandatory organisational responses.
Rebekah Watson, School of Physiotherapy - Learning disability health resources from a Māori lens
People with learning disabilities face many challenges in their health and wellbeing. This is further complicated for whaikaha Māori. This project will explore from a Te Ao Māori perspective the suitability of current available resources for people with a learning disability to support their health.
Sebastian Watson, Department of General Practice and Rural Health - Social determinants and health outcomes for Māori and non-Māori in Central Otago
This research project will be creating a profile of the Dunstan Hospital catchment by ethnicity, age, socioeconomic deprivation, and rurality and then comparing this with mortality rates and health service utilisation of the catchment with a particular focus on comparing Māori with non-Māori. I will be collecting data, calculating rates, and then comparing my results with other regions. The aim is then to give this data to local health services (Central Otago Health Services and Uruuruwhenua Health Inc.) to help identify the health needs of Central Otago and to inform future action plans for the area.
Sara Aruquipa Southerwood, Kōhatu – Centre for Hauora Māori - Culture and its impacts on indigenous health professionals’ clinical practise
The project comprises interviews with indigenous Rapa Nui health professionals, a Polynesian island that has experienced the impacts of contact with Europeans over the past 300 years, including ongoing colonisation by the Government of Chile in South America. This research is located within a Kaupapa Māori Research (KMR) methodology, applying KMR theory and research methods to explore indigenous health on Rapa Nui. Māori in Aotearoa and Ma’ori in Rapa Nui have a similar culture, values and language and a shared experience of colonisation that has impacted tino rangatiratanga, and social and health outcomes for them as indigenous peoples. By locating this research within indigenous worldviews, we will prioritise indigenous ways of knowing and being in Rapa Nui, including language, values, and concepts of health. It is part of a wider collaborative approach between the supervisors of this project (Associate Professor Esther Willing and Dr Moira Fortin Cornejo) at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka.
Pacific Health Research Summer Studentships:
Beatrice Hessell, Department of Management - Healthy workplaces: Support for addiction recovery through a Pacific lens
Pacific peoples are over-represented in experience of addictive behaviours, including gambling and alcohol. One of the spaces where addiction is likely to become obvious is the workplace. When a staff member has issues of addiction it can impact on work performance, safety of colleagues and customers or drive behaviours such as workplace theft. Workplaces have a responsibility for the health and wellbeing of their staff, such as providing supports for addiction. The proposed project is a literature review of workplace provision of support for staff experiencing addiction. This may include options for early detection, for example, through workplace drug testing, provision of counselling for those who disclose issues and, where appropriate, support to integrating back into a role.