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Riz Tupai-Firestone

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Riz Tupai-Firestone
Academic background
Alma materMassey University, University of Canterbury
Thesis
Doctoral advisorPhilippa Gander
Academic work
InstitutionsMassey University

Ridvan Tupai-Firestone (known as Riz) is a Samoan–New Zealand academic, and is from January 2025 is a full professor in the Centre for Public Health Research at Massey University. Tupai-Firestone works on social and cultural health inequalities.

Early life and education

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Tupai-Firestone was born in Samoa, and moved to New Zealand with her family in 1976.[1] She has links to the villages of Falealupu on Savai’i island and Matautu on Falealili.[1] Tupai-Firestone completed a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Canterbury and then a PhD titled Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome among taxi drivers: consequences and barriers to accessing health services at the Massey University.[2][1]

Academic career

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Tupai-Firestone joined the faculty of Massey University, rising to associate professor in 2021 and full professor in 2025.[3][1] She first worked in sleep science at the Moe Tika Moe Pai SleepWake Research Centre before focusing on public health.[1] She is interested in social-cultural and health inequalities, community interventions for obesity and other diet-related health problems, and works with young Pacific people with non-communicable diseases.[4][5] In 2020 she was awarded a Marsden grant to lead a team from five institutions to investigate associations between culture, food systems, diet and traditional practices, and diet-related diseases.[6]

Tupai-Firestone was the Pacific Strategy Leader for the A Better Start National Science Challenge, and was also part of the Healthier Lives challenge.[7][8]

She was appointed Chair of the Lottery Health Research Committee in 2020.[9] She was also on the jury of the 2024 Falling Walls Lab.[4]

Awards

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In 2014 Tupai-Firestone was awarded the New Zealand Health Research Council’s Sir Thomas Davis Te Patu Kite Rangi Ariki Health Research Fellowship.[10]

Selected works

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "2024 Professorial promotions announced". www.massey.ac.nz. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  2. ^ Tupai-Firestone, Ridvan (2006). Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome among taxi drivers: consequences and barriers to accessing health services (PhD thesis). Massey University. hdl:10179/1581.
  3. ^ "2021 Professorial promotions announced". www.massey.ac.nz. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand Jury". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  5. ^ Centre, Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research (11 October 2019). "Introducing the Evidence to Everyday symposium speakers and chairs". www.otago.ac.nz. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Marsden Fund awards 2020". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Associate Professor Ridvan (Riz) Firestone - Healthier Lives". Healthier Lives National Science Challenge. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Announcing our new Pasifika Strategy theme leader | A Better Start - National Science Challenge". www.abetterstart.nz. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  9. ^ "People » Centre for Public Health Research". publichealth.massey.ac.nz. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Dr Ridvan Firestone | OL@OR@". olaora.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
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