Hailing from the Fiji Islands, Charlene McGechan was born in Lautoka and is from the village of Maunisolo in Kadavu. Currently in her final year of a nursing degree at the Universal College of Learning (UCOL) in Whanganui, she never considered it as a pathway until a life changing moment which pushed her to pursue it as a career.

Amio Matenga Ikihele, General Manager – Community & Innovations for Moana Connect, presented on their DIGIFALE Programme at last year's PMA Conference held in Wellington. We connected with Amio to hear some of her reflections:

Vilingatoni was the recipient of the 2021 PMA Dr Leopino Foliaki University of Auckland Scholarship. We caught up with him around his passion for medicine and health and how the scholarship helped him during his university studies.

The Pasifika Medical Association Group (PMAG) and Pasifika Futures (PFL) acknowledge the recent budget announcement which sees Whānau Ora receiving an additional $168.1 million over four years.

Dr Jemaima Tiatia and Dr Fiona Langridge presented on their abstract 'Investigating Mental Wellbeing And Climate Change: Privileging Pacific Peoples’ Perspectives' at last year's PMA Conference.

With the support of New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, PMA deployed a Medical Assistance Team (PACMAT) to Vanuatu to support the response efforts following Cyclone Kevin and Judy.

Lefaoali'i Dr Dion Enari and Lisa Viliamu Jameson presented on their abstract "Climate Justice: a Pacific Island perspective" at last year's PMA Conference. We connected with Dr Enari to hear some of his reflections:

As we get closer to the Pasifika Medical Association Conference, which is being held in the Cook Islands this year in September, we reflect on some of the presentations from last year's PMA Conference that were delivered by our Pacific colleagues.

Happy Youth Week and a special congratulations to one of our very own within the PMA family, Lorenzo Havili, who graduated over the weekend from the University of Otago with his Bachelor of Science. Lorenzo was a recipient of the inaugural Sorensen Scholarship in 2019 which helped support him throughout his studies.

Seini Falefata is a highly experienced nurse who has dedicated her career to providing exceptional service to those in need. Seini is a Registered Nurse at Etu Pasifika Canterbury under the Ngalu Fanifo Mental Health service. She comes with a wealth of knowledge and expertise and has served on multiple emergency response deployments as part of PMA's PACMAT team; most recently part of the psychosocial team deployed to Vanuatu following the impact of cyclones in the region.

Falena Prouting is the Nursing Director at Etu Pasifika Auckland and is committed to serving the Pacific community. Falena makes it a priority to provide culturally sensitive care and support and through her strong commitment to serving others, she hopes to continue building strong relationships and trust with her patients to deliver the best care possible.

Akerita Alatimu is a Nurse at Etu Pasifika Canterbury and is driven by the purpose to serve Pacific communities. Through her role, she is grateful for the opportunity to advocate for her patients and providing the best care possible.