The Fellows were formally inducted at the Academy’s inaugural congress held last month in Apia, Samoa. The academy was established to bring together leading researchers and scientists from across the region to address shared challenges and strengthen the next generation of Pacific scholarship.

Dame Teuila is a pioneering paediatrician, researcher and academic whose work has significantly advanced Pacific child health and wellbeing.

She is widely recognised for her expertise in Pacific child health, maternal mental health and health equity, and has led research and initiatives aimed at improving outcomes for Pacific communities in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the region. Her work spans clinical care, research and policy, with a strong focus on culturally grounded approaches to healthcare.

Dame Teuila was the first Sāmoan paediatrician in New Zealand and has spent more than three decades working with Pacific children and families, alongside advocating for systemic change to address health inequities.

All of us here at PMA congratulate Dame Teuila on this wonderful achievement. We are so proud and look forward to the continued work of the Pacific Academy of Sciences.