The Director of Otago’s Te Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare (Māori Health Research Centre), Associate Professor Bridget Robson (Ngāti Raukawa), third from left, celebrates winning a prestigious national award with former colleagues of the centre.
Associate Professor Bridget Robson (Ngāti Raukawa), from the Faculty of Medicine – Wellington, has received a significant award from Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa, Māori Medical Practitioners Association (Te ORA) for her contribution to Māori health.
At Te ORA’s conference in Ōtaki late last month, Bridget received the Maarire Goodall Supreme Award, Te ORA’s most prestigious annual award, which supports and celebrates the contributions of Māori health professionals.
Bridget is the Director of Te Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare (Māori Health Research Centre) and Associate Dean Māori at Otago’s Wellington campus.
Te ORA President Kasey Tawhara says Bridget has been a staunch advocate for ethnicity data and its central role in understanding Indigenous health. Bridget has a long-standing commitment to measuring, monitoring, and intervening in the social and economic determinants of health, and has spent many years researching Māori health and inequities in health care access and outcomes.
“Te ORA also acknowledges the years of mentorship and manaakitanga that Bridget has provided to Māori medical students during their training. She inspires these next generations of Māori medical practitioners to stand proud in their identity as Māori while they become the next champions for hauora Māori.”
Bridget says she is so honoured to receive this award from Te ORA, which carries the name of the esteemed Maarire Goodall who contributed so much towards advancing Māori health and hauora in the broadest sense.
Bridget acknowledges the mahi that all her colleagues have undertaken to support the kaupapa. Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē.