Prestigious awards for cervical cancer and Māori health research
Professor Bev Lawton and the team from Te Tātai Hauora o Hine—National Centre for Women's Health Research Aotearoa have received two medals at the 2023 Royal Society Te Apārangi Research Honours Aotearoa.
Professor Lawton (Ngāti Porou), Director, is the recipient of the HRC’s Beaven Medal for excellence in translational health research. The wider team has also been awarded the HRC’s Te Tohu Rapuroa Medal for outstanding leadership, excellence, and contribution to Māori health.
The Beaven Medal recognises 20 years of work for Professor Lawton in translating research into clinical practice, most notably in the areas of cervical cancer prevention and maternal health outcomes for wāhine Māori.
Research undertaken by Professor Lawton and her team confirmed the life-saving potential for Māori women of self-testing for cervical cancer prevention. The findings have led to the acceptability and introduction of HPV self-testing in Aotearoa for the prevention of cervical cancer. The team have also championed a more equitable referral pathway and provision of longer appointments for those under-screened at colposcopy.
Central to the work of the centre is strong working relationships with iwi and whānau and a commitment to working with communities affected by inequities in maternal, infant, and women’s health.
A long-standing relationship and partnership with Ngāti Pāhauwera Development Trust has led to more investment in community-based research, including in Wairoa, Tairāwhiti and Porirua. Guided by the iwi partnerships, including with Ngāti Porou Oranga and, more recently, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, their impactful work highlights strong, community voices.
Professor Lawton says that while the road to making meaningful and lasting change is not easy, she and her team remain as committed as ever to making a difference to mama, pēpi and whānau through their research and advocacy work, guided and supported by kaumātua who are steeped in Te Ao Māori.
“The health system defends itself at all costs and resists change. Therefore, your evidence must be strong, you must have persistence and be willing to sometimes put your head above the parapet when others won’t, and you must treasure your community champions who are so vital to successfully translating research into real world settings,” says Professor Lawton.
Both awards were presented to the team at Government House in Wellington on Thursday 23 November 2023.
The research team of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine includes a Kāhui Kaumātua consisting of Matua Matthew Bennett (Ngāti Pāhauwera); Matua Charles Lambert (Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Ruapani); Dame Areta Koopu (Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāti Kahu); Whaea Wendy Dallas-Katoa (Kāti Mamoe, Waitaha); and Matua Warihi Campbell (Ngāti Porou). Current research team members include Professor Beverley Lawton (director, Ngāti Porou); Francesca Storey (deputy director); Dr Kendall Stevenson (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Kurī, Ngāpuhi); Anna Adcock (Ngāti Mutunga); Dr E Jane MacDonald; Dr Tania Slater (Ngāpuhi, Ngati Kahu); Dr Melanie Gibson; Sidney Ropitini (Te Whakatōhea Ngāti Rakaipaaka, Ngāti Kahungunu), Ngaire Sparkes (Ngāi Tūhoe), Associate Professor Jo-Ann Stanton, Hayley Laursen (Ngāti Tūwharetoa; Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi), Kia Paasi, and Maxine Schmidt.