MSocSc Waik., MPP Well., DipComH Otago PhD
Ngati Maniapoto
Dr Lorna Dyall completed a Master in Social Science ( Honours) from the University of Waikato in the late 1970s and on completion of her degree became involved in improving the health and wellbeing of Maori. Her first employed position was as a social worker at the Tauranga Hospital in the later 1970s and then as a research assistant with the Maori Women’s Welfare League involved in the study Rapuora Health and Maori Women.
Experience as a research assistant and interest in health led her being employed by the Department of Health in the 1980s, leading the development and co-ordination of Maori health policy. Dr Dyall has had experienced in working in a number of different public sector agencies such as Wellington Area Health Board, Te Puni Kokiri and the Accident Compensation Corporation.
Dr Dyall has wide interests in the health sector and has been involved in the development of many health and research initiatives in New Zealand. She has been a member of the Health Research Committee Maori Health Committee in the 1990s helped developed a Maori strategic research strategy and business plan. Her research interests has been varied but a strong focus has been on the improvement and development of health services for Maori to support Maori aspirations for self determination and improved health outcomes. In the 1990s she completed a Master’s degree in public policy from Victoria University and a Diploma of Community Health from the University of Otago.
In the late 1990s Dr Dyall joined the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences began her PhD investigating is problem gambling and emerging public health interest for Maori. This research has supported the development of a public health approach to reduce gambling related harm acknowledging that problem gambling affects all areas of Maori life and wellbeing and significantly impacts on the health of children. New research interests at present cover the health of children, the health of older Maori, improving Maori access and outcomes from health services and reducing injuries and trauma for Maori in many different settings.
Dr Lorna Dyall is currently a Senior Lecturer at Te Kupenga Hauora Maori the Division of Maori Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Auckland University and is involved in teaching at an undergraduate and postgraduate level and research focused on improving Maori health and wellbeing.
