Dianne Sika–Paotonu is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

immunologist,

biomedical scientist A biomedical scientist is a scientist trained in biology, particularly in the context of medical laboratory sciences or laboratory medicine. These scientists work to gain knowledge on the main principles of how the human body works and to find new w ...

and academic in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and Associate Dean (Pacific) at the University of Otago Wellington. She is of Tongan descent and is the first Pasifika biomedical scientist to receive the Cranwell Medal for science communication in 2020 and the 2022 Prime Minister's Science Communicator of the Year prize.

Early life and education

Sika–Paotonu was born in New Zealand to Tongan parents who emigrated to New Zealand from

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

in the 1960s. She has one brother. She attended Cannons Creek Primary School, the Wellington Seventh Day Adventist school and

Wellington Girls' College Wellington Girls' College was founded in 1883 in Wellington, New Zealand. At that time it was called Wellington Girls' High School. Wellington Girls' College is a year 9 to 13 state secondary school, located in Thorndon in central Wellington. H ...

. She studied at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well kno ...

where she gained a BSc in physiology in 2001, a Bachelor of Biomedical Science in molecular pathology in 2003, a Masters in Biomedical Science in 2007 and a PhD. Her PhD thesis, completed in 2014, was titled ''Increasing the potency of dendritic cell based vaccines for the treatment of cancer''.

Career

Sika–Paotonu completed her PhD while working on cancer vaccines at the

Malaghan Institute of Medical Research The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is an independent biomedical research institute based in Wellington, New Zealand. The Malaghan Institute specialises in the immune system, and how it can be harnessed to improve human health. Its key ar ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

. From her work on vaccines she moved into investigating cancer diagnosis and the early detection of cancer. She has been researching the treatment of rheumatic fever, in particular long–lasting penicillin and is the scientific lead of the Rheumatic Fever and Penicillin Research Programme. She has raised issues of concern about missed diagnoses of rheumatic fever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her research into the early detection of cancer using a blood test was funded by a Sir Thomas Davis Te Patu Kite Rangi Ariki Fellowship in 2018. In 2020 she received a Fulbright Scholarship to travel to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

to research rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease and early detection of cancer. Her work extends into health equity issues for Pasifika and Māori communities and mentoring Pasifika students and researchers. Sika–Paotonu is a senior lecturer in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and Associate Dean (Pacific) at the

University of Otago, Wellington The University of Otago, Wellington is one of seven component schools that make up the University of Otago Division of Health Sciences. All University of Otago medical students who gain entry after a competitive Health Sciences First Year program ...

. She is a Health Research Council Pacific Emerging Research Fellow.

Honours and awards

* MacDiarmid Award (2008) * NZ Young Scientist Award for advancing Human Health and Wellbeing (medical category) (2008) * Colmar Brunton NZ Research Excellence Award (2008) * Australasian Society of Immunology (ASI) Science Communication Award (2008) * Health Research Council of New Zealand's Sir Thomas Davis Te Patu Kite Rangi Ariki Health Research Fellowship (2018) *

New Zealand Association of Scientists The New Zealand Association of Scientists is an independent association for scientists in New Zealand. It was founded in 1941 as the New Zealand Association of Scientific Workers, and renamed in 1954Gregory, G., 2013. Not to be forgotten: New Ze ...

(NZAS) Cranwell Medal for Science communication (2020) * Association of Adventist Women (AAW) Woman of the Year (2021) * Fulbright Scholarship (2020) * Te Puiaki Whakapā Pūtaiao Science Communication Prize (2022)

Personal life

Sika–Paotonu is married to Reno Paotonu and they have one daughter.

Selected publications

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References

External links

Interview with Dr Dianne Sika–Paotonu on RNZ
3 June 2021
''Three experts react to Government's Covid-19 roadmap'' on YouTube
5 October 2021 – Dr Dianne Sika–Paotonu, Professor Shaun Hendy and Dr Siouxsie Wiles {{DEFAULTSORT:Sika-Paotonu, Dianne Academic staff of the University of Otago New Zealand people of Tongan descent New Zealand medical researchers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Victoria University of Wellington alumni People educated at Wellington Girls' College New Zealand academics