Dr Emma Wehipeihana is an award-winning writer, podcaster and political commentator. Combining expertise in medicine and accessible writing, she shares information on the experience of Māori in New Zealand's healthcare system.
Many people who enter the medical profession spend their entire lives aspiring to do so. For Emma, it hadn't crossed her mind until she realised that one day she would have to explain to her child what she had dedicated her life to.
Having studied through the Māori and Pacific Admissions Scheme, she was inspired by her teachers, mentors, and fellow students, including lecturers Papaarangi Reid, Elana Curtis, and Rhys Jones. Not only did she acquire technical skills from their lectures, but they also shared a "path to follow" to advance Māori health and wellness.
After graduating and working as a surgical registrar at Middlemore Hospital, she continues to incorporate their ideas on how indigenous health equity can be achieved. Emma continues to write and produce content, but now her focus is on the challenges, experiences, and hopes within medicine.
She lives in Tāmaki Makaurau with her mother and daughter. Her first book is the bestselling memoir There’s a Cure for This, published by Penguin Random House in 2023.
Links:
Newsroom articles – Emma Espiner
Doctor and political commentator Emma Espiner on her journey to finding purpose
Emma Espiner: a life less ordinary
Podcast: Getting better – A year in the life of a Māori medical student
