Genomic-based cancer treatment, or precision oncology, is still a topic in need of discussion for Māori, says Faculty of Medical Health Sciences research fellow Dr Kimiora Hēnare.

Hēnare (Ngāti Haua, Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri) has received a Health Research Council Māori Emerging Research Leader grant, worth almost $650,000 over 48 months. Genomic-based testing isn’t easily accessible for Māori, which Hēnare attributes to systemic inequities in the New Zealand health system and the negative experiences of Indigenous Peoples who have engaged in genetic and genomic research globally.