Kia ora! My name’s Dr Katie McMenamin and I’m a health equity researcher for the Health and Research Collaborative (HARC). I have a background in health equity research, clinical psychology, and paramedicine. I completed my PhD in 2020 through the University of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. My thesis centred around parental attitudes to deafness and its impact on the development of cultural identity in d/Deaf children. I have a particular interest in the development of cultural identity and health equity for marginalised groups within New Zealand (e.g., Māori, Pacific Islanders, the Deaf community, and the transgender community). My recent work includes an overview of equity issues within the Whanganui region, a sector analysis of cancer screening  programmes within primary care, an evaluation of the Best Start model of care for hapū māmā (pregnant Māori women), an asset-based qualitative analysis of a rural general practice in South Taranaki, and research around the health and wellbeing needs of transgender and gender diverse people in the Whanganui region.

I am currently working with a diverse group of passionate people from the Whanganui transgender community on improving access to safe physical activities in our region. As well as this project, I am actively seeking funding for two further transgender-based projects. The first is to develop and set up a mental health and wellbeing programme for the local transgender community; the second is to work with a Whanganui Iwi-led health service, alongside local transgender-based community services, to co-design and develop a Kaupapa Māori wrap-around service for transgender youth and their whānau during early transition.

I am a member of PATHA (Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa) and of WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) and am working alongside other researchers and clinicians, both locally and within Aotearoa, to research and implement other equity-based initiatives within the transgender health and wellbeing space.

In addition to transgender-related projects, I’m also seeking funding to pilot and evaluate the benefits of equine (horse) therapy for marginalised groups within the Whanganui region. I am an Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) Certified Professional and am actively establishing relationships with other Eagala therapists and teams around Aotearoa to co-develop and research the potential benefits of providing Eagala-based psychotherapy, through primary care pathways.

Finally, I have been involved with the Deaf community, at varying levels, since my daughter was born. I took two New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) papers at Victoria University and spent time with a couple of Wellington-based Deaf adults who generously helped me become more fluent so that I could use sign language with my daughter. While I would not call myself fluent in NZSL, I’m able to converse with people from the Deaf community at a reasonable level and have stepped in to interpret for people where there was no qualified interpreter available. In addition, I served as a committee member of Deaf Children New Zealand (DCNZ), a parent-led volunteer organisation that supports parents and families of d/Deaf and hard of hearing children, between 2019-2025, and was President of the committee between 2021-2025.