Dare to be wise. Dare to Succeed. Dare to Care. Pacific Aspirations in Aotearoa
About Professor Fa'afetai Sopoaga research
Fa’afetai is the first Pacific female appointed to a professorial position at the University, and the first Pacific female medical doctor appointed as a professor in Australasia in 2020. She was appointed as the inaugural Associate Dean (Pacific), in the Division of Health Sciences in 2009.
Awarded the Prime Minister’s supreme award for tertiary teaching excellence in 2018, including the inaugural national award for excellence in supporting Pacific students, her work and engagements extend into the Pacific region. A public health and primary health care physician, her research interests include mental health and wellbeing, Pacific workforce and capacity building. Her PhD research focussed on Pacific students’ health and wellbeing.
In 2022 New Years Honours, she was appointed a Companion of the New Order of Merit for services to Pacific Health and tertiary education.
Appointed as New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Health Adviser in Samoa for two years until April 2023, she is also an advocate for indigenous rights . In May 2023, she was invited to take up a role as Health Advisor to the Samoa Ministry of Health. Fa’afetai is embedded within her fa’a Samoa cultural context, with a strong commitment to community service – following the lead of her parents (both church ministers). Her chiefly title Faumuina is from the Talamaivao family in Fagaloa, Samoa. She belongs also to the villages of Fasito’otai and Apia, but was raised in Alamagoto, where her parents were EFKS church ministers.
Streaming information for Professor Fa'afetai Sopoaga IPL
This event will be live-streamed, from 5:25pm Tuesday 30 May 2023, at the following web address:
Professor Fa'afetai Sopoaga's IPL video stream
Test your connection to the streaming service here
| Date | Tuesday, 30 May 2023 |
|---|---|
| Time | 5:30pm - 7:30pm |
| Audience | Public,Undergraduate students,Postgraduate students,Staff,Alumni,Allied health professionals |
| Event Category | Health Sciences |
| Event Type |
Inaugural Professorial Lecture |
| Campus | Dunedin |
| Location | Castle 1 Lecture Theatre, Dunedin |
| Cost | Free |
| Contact Name | Anna Poole |
| Contact Email | anna.poole@otago.ac.nz |
