Māori surgeon awarded $300,000 research boost to close breast cancer survival gap

Northland surgeon Dr Maxine Ronald (Te Kapotai ki Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Rangi) has been named the inaugural Māori Breast Cancer Research Leadership Fellow, in a bid to address the disparities faced by wāhine Māori and Pasifika women affected by breast cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Breast Cancer Cure and Breast Cancer Foundation NZ have awarded Dr Ronald $300,000 for a three-year fellowship with Hei Āhuru Mōwai Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa.

Research shows wāhine Māori and Pasifika women are more likely to develop breast cancer (35% and 20% respectively) and are more likely to die from it (33% and 52% respectively) than non-Māori.

As the world’s only wahine Māori consultant breast cancer surgeon, Dr Ronald has advocated for indigenous health equity for many years. Her fellowship will focus on working with researchers across the motu to build Māori capability and leadership in breast cancer research. The aim of this work is to drive policy change and action to ultimately close the breast cancer survival gap in Aotearoa.

For Dr Ronald the fellowship presents a timely opportunity to bring her life’s work together and make a tangible difference for whānau and wāhine experiencing breast cancer.

“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,” says Dr Ronald.

“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.”

Breast Cancer Cure chair Fay Sowerby says she is immensely proud of 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 Tumuaki CEO, Cindy Dargaville, says the fellowship will help drive necessary policy change 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,” says Dargaville.

“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 CEO Ah-Leen Rayner says, “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.”