Beehive buzz for AUT’s WHN Programme
AUT was part of the Beehive exhibition hosted by the Medical Technology Association of New Zealand (MTANZ) to showcase the latest medtech to MPs, Government organisations and other stakeholders.
Scott Crawford, Research Operations Senior Manager for WHN, said AUT was the only university represented at the event, highlighting its multi-year collaboration with global healthcare technology company Abbott. The partnership, launched earlier this year, is advancing research in health and neuroscience with an initial focus on mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), aiming to generate insights that could significantly improve outcomes for female athletes and the wider community.
Scott noted that the AUT Women’s Health and Neuroscience Research Programme attracted considerable attention at the Beehive, particularly from Pharmac and the New Zealand Spinal Trust. He also met with several AUT alumni, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Health (with responsibility for Pharmac), the Hon David Seymour MP, and New Zealand First List MP Dr David Wilson.
Minister Seymour stressed the importance of creating medical technology which can be used to improve health services, cut waiting times and keep costs down.
Along with Abbott, other companies among the 14 represented at the showcase included Roche Diagnostics and Johnson & Johnson.