Māori postdoctoral student Vincent Lomas (Ngāi Tahu, Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe) is taking his research on health equity to the global stage after being awarded a Royal Society Te Apārangi NZUK Link Foundation scholarship.
Springboarding from studies at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC), Lomas will travel to Europe and the United Kingdom to collaborate with leading epidemiology experts. His research has the potential to reshape how public health responses are designed in Aotearoa New Zealand, ensuring interventions better protect communities most at risk.
His research addresses a critical gap in public health modelling.
"My research allows us to run simulations of disease spread and target high risk groups with intervention policies to equitably protect Aotearoa from infectious disease threats.
"I initially studied mathematical physics and wanted to apply my research to a real-world problem. I heard about the ethnic inequity present during COVID-19 and when I looked into models that accounted for this, I found very few internationally and none that were specific to Aotearoa. I felt that I had to develop these."
Lomas' research develops new modelling approaches that better reflect how different communities experience disease spread, with the goal of supporting more equitable public health decisions.
"With these techniques, we can run simulations of disease-spread and target high-risk groups with intervention policies," Vincent says.
Lomas develops models that reveal how diseases spread across different communities, supporting more equitable public health decisions. His research focuses on interactions between socio-demographic groups, including household transmission and social contact patterns.
The scholarship will see Lomas attend the European Educational Programme in Epidemiology in Italy, followed by a research placement at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. There, he will work with Professor Rosalind Eggo at the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, whose research focuses on socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in disease transmission.
"This opportunity means a lot to me; I can connect with the wider epidemiology community and build oversea connections. More importantly I can learn from a wider scope of people to develop models that can better promote equity that people want to use."
Before departing, Lomas will share his work locally, speaking at a free public event in Ōtautahi Christchurch. The Research for Children Aotearoa Child Immunisation's Research Talks, held on 28 April at 5pm at Te Papa Hauora, will feature three researchers discussing how their work is improving health outcomes for children and young people.
The NZUK Link Foundation scholarship supports two Māori early-career researchers each year to investigate health equity challenges. Recipients travel to the United Kingdom for two to three months to collaborate with international experts and are supported to attend leading training programmes in epidemiology.
