Penny Haora

Dr Penny Haora (Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Māhanga) is a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland in the UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and affiliated with the School of Psychology. She specializes in innovations and system transformation for better First Nations maternity care, employing qualitative, mixed methods, community-based participatory, and realist approaches. Her work emphasizes Indigenous knowledges, cultural safety, and addressing inequities in maternity care.

• Education:
  • PhD in Public Health and Health Services, Australian National University (2013)
  • Master of Public Health and Health Services, University of New South Wales
  • Graduate Diploma in Midwifery, University of Western Sydney

Her research interests include Kaupapa Māori and Indigenist research approaches, decolonising methodologies, and realist evaluation. She has led projects like the Building on Our Strengths (BOOSt) study with Waminda South Coast Aboriginal Women's Health Organisation and worked in Thailand, Nepal, and post-conflict regions.

Her recent publications focus on group antenatal care mechanisms, Birthing on Country services, and cultural proficiency in midwifery. She supervises PhD, Honours, and Master of Public Health students and collaborates with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and international NGOs.