<p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size:12px">Valdine Flaming (far right) during the p&#333;whiri at R&#257;t&#257; Marae, Saturday 27 May 2017.</span></em></p>

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<p>Valdine Flaming of Thompson, Northern Manitoba arrived in Whanganui on 24 May 2017 to begin a three-month postgraduate student placement with Whakauae. A p&#333;whiri for Valdine was held at R&#257;t&#257; Marae shortly after her arrival in Whanganui.</p>

<p>A member of the Manitoba Metis originating in the Red River, Valdine is completing her Master of Arts degree in Disability Studies through the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. Her student placement is being hosted by Whakauae, in an agreement with the University of Manitoba. Valdine has been awarded a prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship (QES), through a Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) programme, to support her three-month study in New Zealand.</p>

<p>In addition to her postgraduate study, Valdine is Executive Officer and Advisor for Strategic Services and Development at the University College of the North in Thompson, Northern Manitoba. She brings with her to Whakauae a strong interest in the lived experience of Indigenous peoples with chronic illness and disability as well as significant experience as an activist with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Manitoba.</p>

<p>During her three-month placement, Valdine will primarily be working with the Whakauae team on their HRC-funded research project, Preventing Chronic Conditions (PCC): Learnings from Participatory Research with M&#257;ori. The aims of the research project are 1) to examine how the prevention (primary and secondary prevention) of chronic conditions is being modelled, practiced and measured in three M&#257;ori health service providers; 2) to define what short term outcomes are being achieved; and, 3) to enable naturalistic generalisations to be made to inform wider health service development.</p>

<p>Valdine&rsquo;s role within the research team will be examining Indigenous chronic disease prevention practices in both Canada and New Zealand. She will update the (PCC) literature review already conducted by the team and additionally conduct a review of recent Canadian literature around Indigenous models of chronic condition prevention. The outcome will be a comparative analysis of chronic condition prevention models in Canada and New Zealand.</p>

<p>Whakauae Research welcomes Valdine and looks forward to working with her both during the coming three months and beyond.</p>

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