National Centre for Women's Health Research Aotearoa
Meet the staff at the National Centre for Women's Health Research Aotearoa
Led by Professor Dr Beverley Lawton, nō Ngāti Porou, Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Distinguished Fellow of the Royal College of General Practice, the Centre brings together a group of world-renowned scientists, researchers, and fellows with expertise in maternal and infant health, neonatal nursing, sexual and reproductive health, and social science and community-based research.
You can contact the Centre at adminncwhra@vuw.ac.nz.
Director
Director, Centre for Womens Health Research
Centre for Women's Health Research
Deputy Director
Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Women's Health Research
Centre for Women's Health Research
Professional Staff

Clare André
Personal Assistant
Centre for Women's Health Research
Research staff
Research Fellow in the Centre for Women's Health Research
Centre for Women's Health Research


Senior Research Fellow
Centre for Women's Health Research
Research Fellow
Centre for Women's Health Research

Matthew Bennett
Research Assistant
Centre for Women's Health Research

Charles Lambert
Research Assistant
Centre for Women's Health Research

Kia Paasi
Research Assistant
Centre for Women's Health Research

Sidney Ropitini
Research Assistant
Centre for Women's Health Research
Research Fellow
Centre for Women's Health Research

Maxine Schmidt
Research Assistant
Centre for Women's Health Research

Senior Research Fellow
Centre for Women's Health Research


Stacie Geller
G William Arends Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Professor, Division of Academic Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine
Director, Center for Research on Women and Gender
College of Medicine
University of Illinois, Chicago

Ngaire Sparkes
Research Assistant
Centre for Women's Health Research
Ngaire Sparkes (Ngāi Tūhoe) is a PhD student and community-based research assistant at Te Tātai Hauora o Hine. She is from Waikaremoana, and lives in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay. Her moemoeā (dream/aspiration) is to contribute towards strengthening Māori wellbeing. After years of working in social services and Iwi roles, Ngaire experienced first-hand the struggles endured by whānau because of systemic and structural inequities. While working at Te Tātai Hauora o Hine and undertaking her Master’s thesis, she became inspired by the transformative potential of research to help address these systemic inequities to facilitate better outcomes for whānau. For her PhD thesis, Ngaire wants to use evidence provided by Hapū Whānau, as key informants, to help shape antenatal care pathways that better suit their needs and aspirations as Hapū Whānau.
Development team
The Development Office at Victoria University of Wellington Foundation would be delighted to work with you to build a long-term partnership that will fulfil your philanthropic goals and enable the National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa to achieve our vision of better health for all women and children.
Development Manager, Health
Victoria Foundation · Development Office