Northland surgeon Dr Maxine Ronald (Te Kapotai ki Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Rangi) has been appointed the inaugural Māori Breast Cancer Research Leadership Fellow in a move to address the health disparities experienced by wāhine Māori and Pasifika women with breast cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The fellowship, funded by Breast Cancer Cure and Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, provides Ronald with $300,000 over three years to conduct research under the supervision of Hei Āhuru Mōwai Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa.
Wāhine Māori and Pasifika women are more likely to develop breast cancer (35 percent and 20 percent, respectively) and face higher mortality rates than their non-Māori counterparts (33 percent and 52 percent, respectively).
Ronald, the world’s only wahine Māori consultant breast cancer surgeon, has spent much of her career focusing on her commitment to indigenous health equity.
The focus of her fellowship is to collaborate with researchers across New Zealand to enhance Māori leadership and capacity in breast cancer research, aiming to influence policy changes and improve survival outcomes.
“My ambition in this role is to bring our communities and clinical and research worlds together, so we are all aligned and working together toward the best outcomes possible for wāhine Māori and their whānau. I am really looking forward through the provision of not only equitable breast cancer care for Māori women, but also care that is aligned with Te Ao Māori,” Ronald said.
‘Desperate shortage’ of Māori clinicians and researchers
Fay Sowerby, chair of Breast Cancer Cure, commented on the partnership: “Through my own breast cancer diagnosis in 2013 I learned Māori and Pacific women in Aotearoa New Zealand have much worse outcomes than non-Māori. We believe Maxine will bring focus to our breast cancer research programme and help address the stark inequities in outcomes faced by Māori and Pacific women.”
Hei Āhuru Mōwai chief executive Cindy Dargaville said the fellowship was expected to support necessary policy changes to help eliminate breast cancer inequities.
“Maxine is a very highly respected breast cancer specialist and onco-surgeon, a long-standing member of Hei Āhuru Mōwai and trusted māngai (expert) in her field,” Dargaville said.
“Her knowledge and leadership in the cancer control space will be invaluable to improve early detection rates and treatment of breast cancer, and lift cancer outcomes for wāhine.”
Breast Cancer Foundation NZ chief executive Ah-Leen Rayner also highlighted a significant challenge: “The desperate shortage of Māori breast cancer clinicians and researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand makes it very difficult for research and resulting evidence-based improvements in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment to truly be ‘by Māori, for Māori and about Māori’. We believe that awarding Dr Ronald this fellowship will help address this, and will effect change that will save lives.”
The fellowship represents a strategic effort to bridge gaps between clinical, research, and indigenous communities to address disparities in breast cancer outcomes.