Malama Tafuna'i, MBChB, MMSc, PGDip, PhD

Dr. Malama Tafuna’i is a Pacific health researcher, educator, and medical practitioner with over two decades of experience in clinical care, public health, and medical education. She holds a PhD in Medicine from the University of Otago, where her research focused on chronic kidney disease and non-communicable disease risk factors among Samoan populations in Samoa and New Zealand. She also earned a Master of Medical Science with distinction, exploring the acceptability of HPV self-sampling in Samoa.

Dr. Tafuna’i currently serves as Interim CEO of the Samoa Cancer Society and is a Senior Professional Practice Fellow at the University of Otago, where she leads curriculum development in Pacific health and teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate medical programmes. Her research interests span palliative care, climate change and health equity, and Pacific health education.

She is a Global Health Emerging Scholar under the Fogarty Fellowship at Yale University, conducting a needs assessment for palliative care in Samoa. Her work has been published in leading journals including The Lancet Regional Health, BMJ Open, and Globalisation and Health. Dr. Tafuna’i is a passionate advocate for culturally responsive healthcare and has been recognized with multiple teaching awards and fellowships for her contributions to Pacific health.