When it comes to health, race matters, but not for biological reasons, argues Camara Phyllis Jones. The assistant professor in the Departments of Health and Social Behavior and Epidemiology believes that health outcomes that may appear to some as biologically tied to "race" are, in fact, consequences of racism. Recently awarded the prestigious Ian Axford Fellowship for Public Policy, which is funded by the New Zealand government, Jones will get a chance this year to research these dimensions of health in a brand-new context: New Zealand. Through an in-depth analysis of the experience of the native Maori (pronounced MOU'ree) people, she hopes to gain insight that will both enhance her teaching and enrich her contributions to public policy discussions.

"New Zealand is in the midst of a very powerful, positive social transformation, much like South Africa has gone through, though on a smaller scale," says Jones. "It is an example that can inform social politics not only in the United States but in countries around the globe."

The Maori, a Polynesian people who have inhabited New Zealand for more than a thousand years, constitute 13 percent of the country's population, a percentage that is roughly equal to the African American portion of the United States" population. And disparities in health outcomes between the Maori minority and New Zealand's 3 million whites are also similar to those between American blacks and whites.

The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty in New Zealand, while at the same time safeguarding the Maoriís title to their lands, fisheries, and forests. Jones says that the New Zealand government has recently taken steps to honor the treaty for the first time since the great influx of whites during the 1870s. The government recently set up a tribunal to adjudicate Maori claims and has promised to have all major claims settled by 2000.

Jones notes that there is now a growing body of published research richly documenting the health consequences of racism. Much less is known, however, about what happens when some of the salient features of racism are reversed, and people's social, political, and economic positions are improved. Jones says the fellowship will give her an opportunity to study this rare social phenomenon.

What combination of Maori persistence, governmental responsiveness, and public will brought about this extraordinary political change? How will it affect race relations? What will be the impact on Maori health? And what lessons may be available for policymakers in this country? These are some of the questions Jones says she will be trying to answer during her nine-month fellowship, which starts in January and will conclude next fall. She plans both to collect data and establish some collaborations that will continue when she returns to the School. In New Zealand Jones says she plans to split her time between the Department of Public Health at the Wellington School of Medicine of Otago University, New Zealand's Ministry of Health, and the Centre for Maori Studies and Research at the University of Waikato.

- Richard Hoffman