Dr Kimiora Henare University of Auckland Auckland, New Zealand
Dr Kimiora Henare obtained a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Auckland, before completing an MHSc at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre (ACSRC) under the supervision of Professor Lai-Ming Ching. He worked as a Research Technician at the Liggins Institute for two years, before returning to the ACSRC for doctoral studies under the supervision of Professors Lai-Ming Ching and Cristin Print, focussing on targeting the tumour microenvironment for the treatment of melanoma. After graduating with a PhD in 2014, Dr Henare received a Health Research Council (HRC) Eru Pomare Postdoctoral Fellowship, which included two years in Professor Frank Jirik’s lab at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and two years at the ACSRC in Professor Ching’s lab.
In 2019 he joined the Responsiveness to Māori team, in the Office of the Tumuaki and Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, and the Department of Oncology working as a Research Fellow in Professor Print’s team on various clinical cancer genomics projects – including NETwork!, Genomics into Medicine, and the Rakeiora Programme.
Nationally, Dr Henare serves as a co-convenor and faculty member for the Summer internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics (SING) Aotearoa, a board member for Hei Āhuru Mōwai – Māori Cancer Leadership Aotearoa, and is the founding organiser and co-chair (alongside Dr George Laking) of He Akoranga Whakahoungia within the New Zealand Society for Oncology.