Biomedical Sciences

Biomedical Sciences takes a multi-faceted and applied approach to improving the hauora of our communities. It embraces an integrative approach to developing biomedical understandings and skills that will allow students to work across the health sector.

Biomedical Sciences involves the study of the body's functional at cellular and sub-cellular levels.  This knowledge is contextualised with an understanding of epidemiology, which examines patterns of illness across society, and the foundational components of  kawa whakaruruhau, promoting cultural safety in healthcare.

Developed and underpinned by the term hauora, we endeavour to respect the collective essence of health and wellbeing as well as applying the bio-medical principals that are essential for robust, quality healthcare. Hauora is a holistic approach that values the interconnection between the physical and meta-physical in ways that nourish and sustain the vitality of people and their communities. In doing so, recognition is attributed to past generations, historical contexts, and connections to the land.

As we seek to change the health workforce of the future, you  will need knowledge of health service quality and equity, and applied technologies, that is built on a foundation of cultural competency, multidisciplinary knowledge, interpersonal and collaborative skills, applied biomedical skills, critical thinking, and regional and community engagement. To genuinely enact hauora in practice graduates of the BHealth (Biomedical Sciences) will embrace and respect multi-disciplinary views, practice in ways that exhibit an understanding of hauora as it relates to the individual, whānau and community. As Aotearoa New Zealand moves towards the adoption of hauora in practice and a diversification of the workforce, there are exciting possibilities for roles that will be embedded in our communities.

The Biomedical Sciences major is underpinned by the following six core concepts that are the BHealth’s point of difference:

• Māori and indigenous perspectives and practices;
• Holistic understandings of hauora, health and wellbeing;
• Community collaboration and engagement;
• Analytical and communication skills;
• Clear links to regional/rural health, social justice and equity, and critical perspectives;
• Competencies desired in the practices of health professionals, as identified through consultation with key stakeholders and industry.

These six core strengths underpin a degree that will appeal to those interested in health in the broader sense, beyond primary healthcare. It will also be an ideal qualification for those who are already working in some way in health and want to gain broader and multi-disciplinary perspectives of hauora, health and the health system.