THE SAMOAN SCIENTIST

We meet Amy Maslen-Miller, who is researching the traditional Samoan diet of the 19th century to see if it can play a part in addressing the onset of type 2 diabetes among Samoan New Zealanders.

Amy Maslen-Miller is in the second year of her PhD. She is part of the team at University of Auckland looking at how genes unique to Māori and Pacific people affect the way energy is stored and used and how this might link to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, gout, and cancer. ‘

My research is trying to address type 2 diabetes by learning more about our genes so our people can live healthy and longer lives.’

Known as the Samoan Scientist on social media, she posts regularly, hoping to widen the reach of her research as well as show that science doesn’t have to be scary. Currently, she is looking to recruit 200 women in the 18 to 50 age range who identify as Samoan, so she has taken to social media to find participants.

PODCASTS, TIKTOK, AND INSTA

Amy has been making her own podcast for the last four years, before she even embarked on her PhD. Passionate about science, she hopes her example will encourage other Samoans to pick it up. She has been making short videos, introducing potential participants to her workspace.

Aware that science can be seen as scary, Amy ‘walks’ people through the clinic, showing what her team is doing and introducing the tools of measurement, such as those that measure body composition, resting metabolic rate. They are also shown the mixed meal tolerance test as well as how blood samples are prepared for long term storage.

Each time a video goes out, she will get an influx of 20–30 people who want to help, but then it will go quiet. She says this has been a bit of a challenge since Covid-19 landed in our lives. Amy says that, with misinformation about viruses and vaccines swirling around, some people are cautious but relax once they understand what she is researching. She hopes her transparency encourages people to come through, have a go, and see the friendly side of science.

This article was published in the Summer 2023 issue of Diabetes Wellness magazine, available both in print and online. Sign up here to receive your own copy!