The fifteenth Pacific Health Ministers Meeting (PHMM) has commenced today in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, running from the 20th to the 22nd of September 2023. The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) is in attendance, represented by PMA Group Chair, Dr Kiki Maoate, PMA Group Board Director, Sir Collin Tukuitonga and PMA Chief Executive Officer, Debbie Sorensen.

University of Auckland lecturer and researcher, Dr Sarah Kapeli, presented on her abstract "Pasifika Mental Health Literacy in Aotearoa New Zealand" at the 2023 PMA Conference in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. We caught up with her to hear what she has to share about Mental Health Awareness Week.

From a young age, Taliah Su'a, a New Zealand-born Samoan medical student, has been passionately committed to raising awareness about rheumatic fever, investing a significant amount of her time researching the impacts and implications of the illness.

Founding member of the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), Dame Teuila Percival, has been awarded Honorary Fellow of the NZ College of Public Health Medicine (NZCPHM). The NZCPHM is the professional body that represents the medical speciality of Public Health in New Zealand.

Pasifika Medical Association was honored to have experienced psychiatrist Dr Etuini Ma’u, present and contribute to the discussions pertaining to mental health, at the 2023 PMA Conference, held recently in the Cook Islands. Dr Ma’u shares with us his reflections and insights into the challenges that Pacific peoples face regarding mental health.

The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) and Te Marae Ora (TMO) Cook Islands Ministry of Health proudly announced their partnership at the 2023 PMA Conference in Aitutaki, Cook Islands. This significant event included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between PMA and TMO, symbolising their shared commitment to addressing community priorities, extending beyond the healthcare sector.

The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) has endorsed their partnership with the New Zealand Ministry of Health's (MoH) Polynesian Health Corridors (PHC) programme at the 2023 PMA Conference in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Recently PMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MoH regarding the programme to extend the impact of PMA and PHC's work and strengthen health systems in Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue, Tuvalu and Tokelau.

The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) awarded Life Member and Service Awards to a group of Cook Islands health leaders last night at the annual PMA Conference Dinner, acknowledging their significant contribution to the health needs of Pacific people in the region. 

Bellaraine (Bella) Hifo, a proud Tongan, is our Auckland office's Pasifika Medical Association Host. She greets everyone with a warm and polite smile when they enter the office. For Tongan Language Week, Bella shares her journey of how she grows and nurtures the Tongan culture.

Welcomed with a traditional Cook Islands turou, the Pasifika Medical Association’s (PMA) 27th annual conference has kicked off at the Avarua National Auditorium in Rarotonga, seeing esteemed guests and delegates from around the Pacific region welcomed with colour, vibrancy and the beating drums of the Cook Islands.

The 27th Annual Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) Conference, comprising the largest assembly of Pacific health professionals, is set to take place in the Cook Islands from September 6 to September 8, 2023 in Rarotonga, and September 11, 2023 in Aitutaki; the first PMA conference hosted in the Pacific Islands since pre-Covid. The 2023 PMA Conference is delivered in partnership with the Te Marae Ora Cook Islands Ministry of Health.

We were privileged to sit down with recipient of last year's Papa'ali'i Dr Semisi Ma'ia'i Scholarship, Tatila Helu, as she shared a bit of her story and motivations behind pursuing a career in medicine. We also spoke to some of Tatila's family members who shared about some of their personal experiences as well as reflections about Tatila's journey to date.