Mātai Team

Growing up in Gisborne and attending school on the very site where the Matai Medical Research Institute now stands gives me a special connection to this place and to the work being undertaken here.

My professional background is in education. I hold a Master’s degree in Education and have spent most of my career working with young people, from primary and secondary school through to my final role in education as an early childhood centre manager and teacher.

However, my most recent career has been my most rewarding and fulfilling. For the past seven years, I have been the Manager of Alzheimer’s Gisborne Tairāwhiti, supporting people living with dementia mate wareware, their whānau and care-partners.

Through this role, I have had the opportunity to connect with the Matai Medical Research Institute and to work alongside Dr Sergio Dempsey. With a strong interest in dementia research, I recognise  the potential for research to improve our understanding of dementia and ultimately make a difference to the lives of people and whānau affected by it.

I am therefore very proud to have been officially appointed as a casual Research Assistant to Sergio, supporting his research into dementia.

For me, this feels like a wonderful opportunity to bring together my background in education, my experience working in the dementia field, and my strong connection to Gisborne and the Tairāwhiti community.