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2 https://nz4healthresearch.org.nz/report/ 10 Headlines 25 grants awarded worth $2.28m 8 projects awarded worth $1.2m DECISIONS MADE How did we decide? IN ROUND B 2022 Do you come across any misconceptions about the funding of research? Health research in New Zealand is grossly underfunded. Only 0.76% of our healthcare costs are spent on research, whereas it should be more like 2.4% 2 . One misconception is that funding should go to people’s immediate healthcare needs, not research. Research isn’t always in a lab, it can be as simple as collecting data from a clinical setting to see what works well and what doesn’t. If we use modern technology to analyse all this data, we can work towards precision medicine like I mentioned before, which in the long run will save a lot of healthcare costs and achieve better outcomes. There is also a misconception that universities and hospitals work independently of each other. We have great examples in New Zealand of scientists and clinicians working in close collaboration, leading to improvements in clinical care. To encourage more of this there needs to be stable, long-term research funding right across the sector. Tell us something about your life outside of work? I am married to an aircraft engineer which, apart from the two years during the pandemic, has given us the opportunity to travel. I’ve been to 12 different countries. We have a 16-year-old son, a 19-year-old daughter and three Burmese cats. We love being out in nature, fishing off our boat in the Hauraki Gulf, finding new beaches we’ve never been to before, walking in the Waitakere ranges, and summer glamping in Northland. I have even been swimming with dolphins! The most inspiring person in my life is my older sister. She was born with a congenital heart condition and five years ago she had a heart and double lung transplant. She is a walking miracle and her story always inspires me. $8.5m in total $5.3m for projects 66 applications including 31 project applications APPLICATIONS RECEIVED FUNDS REQUESTED