Casey Mansson is an aspiring Māori doctor studying at the University of Auckland. Raised in Tāmaki Makaurau, during high school, she became aware of the social categorisation between Māori and non-Māori in Aotearoa and the health disparities among different ethnic groups. She wanted to understand the reasons behind the differences in life expectancy & other health measures between Māori, Pacific people, and other ethnicities in Aotearoa - this, and her passion for helping others, led her to pursue a career in health.
Her studies began with a Certificate in Health Sciences, which provided her the foundation to move into the Bachelor’s of Medicine & Surgery. She has now finished her fifth year of the medical programme, where she was placed in both Whakatāne and Tauranga hospitals, and will begin her final year at Middlemore Hospital in 2024.
In addition to her studies, she is also part of the 2023 Te Oranga Executive group. An association led and directed by Māori medical students from across Aotearoa. In this role, they plan and execute a range of activities and wānanga to support and strengthen Māori students' confidence in being Māori and using te reo and Māori culture in their practice.
Casey is passionate about providing patient & whānau-centred care and building safer spaces for Māori within the health system. She has a special interest in Psychiatry, and this year, she conducted her six-week student selective experience in-patient & rural/remote psychiatry within the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
During this selective experience, Casey developed her awareness of the impact that upstream determinants, such as colonisation and intergenerational trauma, have on the health & mental well-being of Tāngata Māori. She aspires to return to the Eastern Bay of Plenty, specifically Whakatāne amongst her Ngāti Awa whānau, to work as a psychiatrist.
For her final year of medical school in 2024, Casey hopes to remain involved in the Te Oranga (Māori Medical Student’s Association) executive group and give back to tauira rata Māori (Māori medical students’) coming through the medical programme.
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