Warm Pacific greetings
Who are we:
Introducing Charleen
Kia orana, fakaalofa lahi atu and warm Pacific greetings. Ko Charleen tōku ingoa, nō te Kūki 'Airani, Niue, Ta'iti, Nū Tirēni, 'ē Tēkōtia mai au.
My name is Charleen and I have ancestral ties to the Cook Islands, Niue, Aotearoa, Tahiti and Scotland. I was born and raised in Wellington and studied Physiotherapy at Otago University. I have worked as a practicing physiotherapist for 20 years in Aotearoa and overseas before returning to Dunedin where I now live with my husband and two kids. I undertook post-graduate study and then moved into the space I am in now in the School of Physiotherapy as Associate Dean Pacific. I am a clinical educator and part of our research team supporting Leigh as the study lead for this project.
I work closely with Megan Lupe, whom you can contact if you are interested in taking part in the study.
We are part of a research team hoping to better support Pacific people living with Parkinsons. We work really closely with our broader team, Professor Leigh Hale (pictured right) and Ms Katrina Pōtiki Bryant. You can read a little more about the bigger study on this page.
We are looking to speak to and hear from those with Parkinsons to better understand the experiences of our community with Parkinsons and their families. The types of questions we are asking in this project are:
How do you think health professionals could best serve our communities better?
What would help to keep our people/communities and their aiga/families thriving ?
What could health professionals like us do to support our people, their aiga/kāinga/kopu tangata, and communities?
Would you like to share your experiences?
If you would like to know more please contact us:
Megan Lupe
Megan.lupe@otago.ac.nz
021 2790843
Charleen Silcock
Charleen.silcock@otago.ac.nz
A bit more about the study:
We are seeking people who identify as Pacific people living with Parkinson's as well as those living without Parkinson's, aged 18 years plus, and their whānau.
We would like to ask for approximately 1-3 hours of your time to answer some questions (one hour), undertake an interview (one hour) and perform some balance and walking tests (one hour). For some people, we may meet with you twice, 12 months apart.
You can choose which parts of the interviews and/tests you want to participate in. These interviews and/or tests can take place either at our study location or at your home.
See our information sheet about the interviews
See our information sheet about the interviews and tests
We can provide $40 grocery vouchers to assist in reimbursing travel costs for each assessment session (initial and at 12 months).
This study has been approved by the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee (Health).