Dr Jamie-Lee Rahiri has been named one of the 2025 L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Fellows, having been recognised for improving surgical care for Māori patients and inspiring the next generation of wāhine Māori into surgery.
Rahiri (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi) was a clinical researcher at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, focusing on understanding and addressing health inequities among Māori.
She is currently a third-year general surgery trainee at North Shore Hospital.
“My research seeks to embed equity and improve the cultural safety and effectiveness of surgical care pathways in Aotearoa,” Rahiri said in a statement.
She is the only kiwi and one of four across Australasia to win the regional section of the prestigious international awards.
The L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship programme promotes equality and visibility for women in STEMM. Each Fellow receives $25,000 to support their research or to put towards whatever matters most to them.
“One of the projects that I’m leading right now, that’s quite exciting, is centred on weight-loss outcomes after surgery. This is an area in Aotearoa, unfortunately, that is still growing in the sense that it urgently needs compassion, surgical excellence and equity embedded within its delivery.”
Rahiri’s PhD, Exploring Māori Experiences of Bariatric Surgery, uses a kaupapa Māori approach to redesign surgical pathways, ensuring care is equitable and culturally safe.
She had already spent time in this kaupapa, having previously worked with South Auckland communities to improve outcomes for Māori patients following bariatric surgery.
She is also the founder of Te Piringa Kōtuku – a Kaupapa Māori Surgical and Primary Health Research Institute – and has been a driving force behind initiatives such as Te Poka Pū, the National Māori Surgical Interest Group, which supports and advances Māori into surgical careers.
“This Fellowship is not just recognition of my work – it acknowledges the communities, mentors, and whānau who have shaped me.
“As a doctor, researcher, and mother of three daughters, I want my girls to know they can stand tall in any space they choose. And it reminds me that the work to transform surgery for Aotearoa is only just beginning,” said Rahiri.
