Dr Mele Taumoepeau has been appointed the new Chair of the HRC's Pacific Health Research Committee, replacing the outgoing Chair Dr Etuate Saafi.
Dr Taumoepeau, who is a current member of the committee, is a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Otago. The HRC Board, Secretariat, and members of the Pacific Health Research Committee would like to congratulate Dr Taumoepeau on her appointment and thank Dr Saafi for his valuable contribution to the committee.
Dr Taumoepeau trained and practiced as a speech and language therapist before obtaining her PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Otago in 2006. In 2008 she was awarded a HRC postdoctoral fellowship. She joined Otago University's Psychology Department in 2011. You can read more about Dr Taumoepeau and her research interests on the University of Otago website.