Denise is an Associate Dean Māori Advancement and Professor of Māori Health at Auckland University of Technology. She researches improving health and social outcomes for whānau (extended family networks) Māori (Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand) affected by violence and trauma, and enhancing service engagement, cultural responsiveness, and workforce development. E Tū Wāhine, E Tū Whānau, a Marsden-funded study, explained how wāhine Māori keep safe in unsafe relationships. Currently, Denise leads HRC-funded studies on whānau wellbeing and their understanding of home. Denise is a member of Te Pūkotahitanga (the Tangata Whenua Ministerial Advisory Group for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention) and the Royal Society Te Apārangi Academic Executive Committee. Denise has been a member of the Family Violence Death Review Committee, the Chair of the Family Violence Prevention Investment Advisory Board, the Deputy Chair of the Family Violence Prevention Expert Advisory Group, and a member of the Health Quality & Safety Commission’s Te Rōpū Māori (Māori Advisory Group). Denise is a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, American Academy of Nurses, and College of Nurses Aotearoa (New Zealand).