BCAC sends huge congratulations to former Committee Member Irene Kereama-Royal who has been awarded a scholarship by Hei Āhuru Mōwai (Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa) and the Cancer Society. Irene’s PhD research looks into the reasons for mistrust among whānau Māori with participating in genetics research and identifying the potential of genomics health to lift Māori health inequities in cancers. Irene (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto) will use her own whānau’s personal journey with cancer and achieving whānau wellbeing through the knowledge of genomics health as part of her research.
Other scholarships were awarded to Helena Abolins-Thompson, who is using advanced genetic sequencing technologies on tumour samples from Māori, and Dr Myra Ruka, who is developing an equity and Tiriti o Waitangi led quality framework for cancer care in Aotearoa.
BCAC wishes these wāhine kairangahau the very best with their studies and we thank Hei Āhuru Mōwai and the Cancer Society for creating this new scholarship scheme.
