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Allamanda FaatoeseSenior Research Fellow

Email allamanda.faatoese@otago.ac.nz

Research interests

Dr Faatoese's research explores cardiovascular risk among Pasifika populations. Her teaching to medical students focusses on effective engagement and communication with Pacific patients and families.

Background

Dr Faatoese joined the Christchurch Heart Institute as a research assistant for the Hauora Manawa / Community Heart Study and then undertook her doctoral studies that focussed on cardiovascular risk profiles of Māori and non-Māori communities. This research explored the potential of novel biomarkers to stratify cardiovascular risk among Maori who bear a greater burden of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Leveraging from this foundation, Dr Faatoese leads the Pasifika Heart Study, a Pacific Island cohort from the Christchurch community in collaboration with a Pacific primary care clinic. Her biomarker research on cardiovascular risk factors includes circulating markers, genetics, and epigenetics.

Dr Faatoese is the Convenor of the Pacific Health teaching in the medical curriculum and is the Chair of the Pacific Health Teaching Sub-Committee.

Dr Faatoese is also the Associate Dean Pacific (Strategic) for the University of Otago, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Dunedin. This role is to advocate for the pathways to success for Pacific students and building capacity and capability of Pacific academic staff within the faculty.

Publications

Pickering, J. W., Pilbrow, A. P., Fa'atoese, A., & Joyce, L. (2026). Addressing significant inequity. New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 139(1631), 110-115. doi: 10.26635/6965.7313 Journal - Research Other

Rolleston, A., Jones, G. T., Earle, N. J., Gibbs, S., Pilbrow, A., Faatoese, A., … Cameron, V. A., … Doughty, R. N. (2026). Considerations for study design and analysis for ethically and culturally safe DNA methylation research in Aotearoa New Zealand. SSM Population Health, 33, 101889. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101889 Journal - Research Article

Scott-Thomas, A., Zawari, M., Chernysheva, E., Wolf, K., Anderson, T., Miller, A., Maze, M., Storer, M., Kennedy, M., Douglas, N., Faatoese, A., & Chambers, S. (2025). Microbial cell-free DNA: A non-invasive approach to diagnosing infectious diseases. Proceedings of the Infectious Diseases & Pandemic Preparedness Summit. (pp. 49). Retrieved from https://www.teniwha.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Gibbs, S. F. P., Pilbrow, A. P., Poppe, K. K., Earle, N. J., Jones, G. T., & Faatoese, A. F. (2025). What's counted counts: The implications of underrepresentation for the application of epigenetic clocks in diverse populations. Clinical Epigenetics, 17, 161. doi: 10.1186/s13148-025-01954-5 Journal - Research Other

Pearson, A. G., Pearson, J. F., Lewis, L. K., Fa'atoese, A., Poppe, K. K., Pemberton, C., … Richards, A. M., Troughton, R., & Doughty, R. N. (2025). Lower NT-proBNP plasma concentrations in Pacific peoples with heart failure. ESC Heart Failure, 12(4), 2976-2984. doi: 10.1002/ehf2.15314 Journal - Research Article

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