A role model for academic excellence.
Huia Monro serves as an Assistant Research Fellow in the Departments of Medicine and Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington, within the Faculty of Medicine. She completed a Bachelor of Arts with double majors in Māori Studies and Philosophy at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. Monro's research interests focus on the impact of conceptualizations of wellbeing, spirituality, and connection on health practices, alongside the role of Mātauranga Māori and Indigenous knowledge within the health system. Her scholarship is informed by her lived experience, philosophical perspective, and cross-cultural lens, which provide a foundational basis for her investigations into culturally responsive health approaches.
Monro has contributed to peer-reviewed publications that advance the inclusion of lived experience in academic and health education contexts. In 2026, she co-authored 'Supporting lived experience teaching academics through co-reflection' with Ahir-Knight et al., published in Higher Education Research & Development, which addresses strategies for aiding academics with personal lived experiences through collaborative reflection. Her 2024 co-authored article, 'Growing the lived experience voice in psychiatry education and research: An academic department’s journey' with Ahir-Knight et al., appeared in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, detailing the Department of Psychological Medicine's initiatives to amplify lived experience perspectives in psychiatric training and research. These works highlight Monro's efforts to integrate personal narratives, cultural knowledge, and philosophical inquiry into enhancing mental health education and systemic practices at the University of Otago.
