PhD candidate To’oa Brown, pictured with Associate Dean Pacific Saki Baleivanualala in the laboratory, gained hands-on experience in biomedical research while working alongside University of Otago researchers.
What started as an opportunity to gain real-life experience inside a biomedical research laboratory has become a full-circle moment for two PhD candidates.
To'oa Brown and Noah Ethan Kelly-Foleni were a part of the first cohort in the Tāmanu Programme in 2023.
The month-long programme caters to the professional development of Pacific tauira, giving them the opportunity to spend time in Biomedical Sciences research laboratories, gain hands-on experience, connect with researchers, strengthen academic writing and research skills, and explore the diverse pathways available in biomedical research.
In 2023 the programme had three students, including To’oa and Noah, and they have since returned to help mentor and support the Pacific students who are following in their footsteps.
To'oa Brown
For To'oa, that opportunity came at the perfect time.
“When I did the programme back in 2023, I was in my third year of undergrad and was unsure of what to do after graduation. Lots of people were talking about postgrad but I didn’t know what that was at the time,” she says.
“The Tāmanu Programme is one of the main reasons I continued into my honours and now my PhD.” – To'oa Brown
It was Noah who encouraged her to sign up.
“I thought it would be a good experience to see whether I liked research and wanted to continue on to do honours,” To’oa says.
During Tāmanu, To'oa was placed with Associate Professor Mike Garratt in Anatomy, where she worked on research looking at the association between diet and gestational diabetes mellitus.
But it was the independence of research that stood out.
“I liked the independence that being in a research lab provided - having to really understand the goal of experiments, trying to problem solve and putting all my results together to form a story.”
That first experience has had a lasting impact.
“The Tāmanu Programme is one of the main reasons I continued into my honours and now my PhD. If I hadn’t done the programme, I’m not sure I would be where I am today.”
Now a PhD candidate herself, To'oa has returned to Tāmanu as a mentor, something she describes as a natural part of what makes the programme special.
“Tāmanu has this cool generational transfer of knowledge where past students are able to come back as mentors and student supervisors.
“I think it’s a great way to give back to the programme and be able to help provide the same support and experience that I had.”
Noah Ethan Kelly-Foleni
Noah has also experienced that progression, having been involved with Tāmanu for four years and taking on different roles along the way.
He says being part of the programme has strengthened the way he thinks about his own research and career, but has also shown him the importance of Pacific researchers being present in biomedical spaces.
“It brings Pacific students at different ages and stages of study together, creating space for them to share knowledge, advice and experiences with one another.” – Noah Ethan Kelly-Foleni
“It has been so enjoyable and fulfilling watching students learn, grow and connect with each other every year.”
For Noah, Tāmanu gives students a chance to experience research before deciding whether they want to make the longer commitment that postgraduate study can involve,
“It brings Pacific students at different ages and stages of study together, creating space for them to share knowledge, advice and experiences with one another.”
Students are also able to develop skills beyond the laboratory, including research, writing and public speaking, with mentors providing detailed, face-to-face feedback throughout the programme.
To'oa says that exposure matters because research is not always a career pathway students know is available to them.
“You don’t know what you don’t know, and that is why representation matters.
“Having Pacific scientists in the labs, being part of that foundational biomedical understanding, is empowering. It's a for Pacific, by Pacific and with Pacific approach.”
For both students, Tāmanu has become much more than the programme they first signed up for.
It helped introduce them to research, supported their own journeys into postgraduate study, and has now given them the chance to help other Pacific students see what might be possible for them too.
As Noah puts it, “the experience has invigorated my passion for science and research” and left him excited about what the future of Pacific research could look like.
– Talanoa by Pacific Communications Advisor Viena Faiva
Pacific at Otago
Pacific at Otago supports Pacific students in their tertiary education journey.
More about Pacific at Otago