Malaghan alumni series: Dr Willy-John Martin

1. Where are you from/where did you grow up?

I’m a Wellingtonian, born in the old St Helen’s hospital in Newtown. I spent my primary school days here before the whānau moved to Hamilton.

2. Where were you before your time at the Malaghan?

I completed an MSc with the University of Waikato on the bioactivities of a plant used as rongoā Māori. My research was undertaken at the Otago Medical School in Newtown, where I first encountered the Malaghan in its final months there.

3. When and what did you study or work on at the Malaghan?

I started my PhD at Malaghan in 2004, working on the inflammatory mechanisms of gouty arthritis. I stayed on after my PhD and then left to do a postdoc at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne at the beginning of 2011.

4. What are some memorable experiences of your time at the Malaghan?

When I joined, the Malaghan had only just relocated to Victoria University’s Kelburn campus from Newtown. There was a sense of freshness and excitement that infused the building, people and research. There were some 50 of us, most, fresh faced. Jacquie Harper was my supervisor, and my lab colleagues and PhD crew were drenched in enthusiasm. I remember fondly the hilarious Christmas parties, and an ASI conference where we Kiwis won the Bursa of Fabricus award for our haka performed during dinner. I don’t know how fearsome a line of immunology students and aging professors were, though!

As far as other memories, it still gives me the shivers to remember the many times overnighting in the patient room, to get up every two hours through the night to inject mice for acute time course experiments! Or the time I accidentally made myself iron deficient by contributing too much of my blood to in vitro experiments.

5. What's been your career path since the Malaghan? What achievements are you most proud of?

I spent six years at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne. I set up the first indigenous research project, on rheumatic fever, in their 100-year history, and was key in setting up their core cultural capability initiatives. My proudest achievement from that work was seeing my research findings picked up in New Zealand, first to treat two young children suffering from severe rheumatic fever, which has since led to a small clinical trial of the treatment.

Another important career step was being recruited as the first Director Māori Science, Innovation and Technology (and first Māori director ever) at MBIE. It has been immensely thrilling and meaningfully challenging to work at the forefront of how the research system policy, settings and funding can better realise the potential of its talent, as well as the aspirations we all have for the future of our Aotearoa New Zealand. I especially enjoy growing the capacity of research system to partner with Māori people or grow Māori talent for the benefit of our society.

6. How has your time at the Malaghan influenced your career?

I thank Malaghan for helping me to develop stronger thinking chops and encouraging us all to grow a few extra layers of skin. I am especially happy for the number of dear Malaghan friends that I have for life.

7. What does it mean for you to be contributing to Malaghan again all these years later as part of Te Urungi?

Establishing Te Urungi has been an important step in Malaghan’s history. It is a symbol of the institute’s commitment to serve Māori communities as part of its work, acknowledging the distinctive cultural settings of Aotearoa New Zealand. It is also a symbol that Māori experts believe that Malaghan’s work has value for Māori communities. It has been a pleasure to serve as an inaugural member to help shepherd the development of that value.

8. What's your advice to young New Zealand scientists today?

Every once in a while, lift your head to think strategically about the transformation your work is seeking to address. The ultimate demonstration of the value of our science is that it is adopted by others and leads to a positive change.

I’ll leave you with a whakatauākī:

He kano mātauranga whakatō, he hua mātauranga puta mai.

Sow the seeds wisdom and you will harvest the fruit of enlightenment.