Professor Brett Cowan is a distinguished leader in health sciences and research. He was recently appointed as the Chair of the Mātai Board of Trustees, where he has served as a Trustee for many years. As Professor and Tumuaki | Dean of the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences at AUT in Auckland, Brett’s extensive experience includes his tenure as the former Chief Scientist and General Manager of Research at Environmental Science and Research (ESR), a New Zealand Crown Research Institute. His career also encompasses significant roles in academia, research, and administrative leadership at the University of Auckland. There he played a key role in establishing the Centre for Advanced MRI (CAMRI) and served as General Manager at UniServices, contributing to various entrepreneurial activities. Alongside his work as an emergency medicine clinician, Brett’s dedication to advancing medical research and his leadership at Mātai will guide us in  our mission to improve health outcomes, particularly in the Tairāwhiti Gisborne region. We are thrilled to have Professor Cowan as the new Chairman of the Board of Trustees, succeeding John Pittar, who recently retired.