Expert Writers

Dr Annette Mortensen

Dr Annette Mortensen

Dr Annette Mortensen has worked to improve the health of newcomers to New Zealand from ethnically diverse backgrounds for the last 15 years. From 2000 to 2007 she worked as the Refugee Health Coordinator for the Auckland Regional Public Health Service. In 2007, Annette was awarded with the Supreme Harmony Award for her contribution to Muslim relations in New Zealand by the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ). In 2008, Annette received a doctorate from Massey University, New Zealand. The subject of her thesis was ‘Refugees as ‘Others’: Social and Cultural Citizenship Rights for Refugees in New Zealand Health Services’. Since 2007 Annette has worked as the Asian, Refugee and Migrant Health Programme Manager for the Northern Regional Alliance on behalf of the Auckland region District Health Boards... read more »

Dr Geeta Gala

Dr Geeta Gala

Dr Geeta Gala is a Public Health Physician, working at the Northern Regional Alliance. She leads and advises on many of the cancer projects across the Northern Region, led by the Northern Cancer Network. She completed the Asian Health Needs Assessment for Counties Manukau DHB in 2007 and has actively advocated for improvement of Asian health in New Zealand. She is the South Asian Advisory board member for the Vitamin D Assessment Study and the VIEW programme (Vascular Informatics using Epidemiology and the Web), a cardiovascular risk prediction research at the University of Auckland... read more »