PhD scholarship provides succession opportunity

PhD scholarship provides succession opportunity

Dr Myra Ruka (Raukawa, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Kuri) is a Clinical Haematologist at Waikato Hospital and a PhD student at Auckland University.

In her work, she has identified that health system design is a major contributor to unjust and unfair Māori cancer outcomes. Myra’s PhD project aims to develop an equity and Tiriti o Waitangi led quality improvement framework for cancer care in Aotearoa. It will also include co-design and implementation of a Kaupapa Māori Cancer Service in the early cancer care pathway.

Myra says the PhD scholarship not only helps her but also provides the opportunity for other Māori health professionals to develop:

“This scholarship will enable me to reduce my work in the hospital and focus on completing my PhD. The added benefit of reducing my clinical equity role in the hospital is that it will create a succession opportunity for Māori clinicians to take up the clinical equity lead role.”