Communicating science well particularly to vulnerable

Immunologist, Dianne Sika-Paotonu has just been named Science Communicator of the year in the Prime Minister's Science prizes. She was a prominent voice during the Covid-19 pandemic - explaining the technical aspects of immunology, vaccines and contributing to hundreds of media stories. She is an associate professor and the associate Dean, Pacific at the University of Otago in Wellington, teaching and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students over many years. Dr Sika-Paotonu is also a leading researcher in drug design for rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease prevention, heart health equity and infectious diseases, and early cancer detection for vulnerable communities. Adept at collaborating with Pacific and Maori communities in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Region, she says one of her main drivers is engaging multidisciplinary teams from different cultures to improve health outcomes