Graduate’s lifelong commitment to children’s wellbeing

A solitary childhood as an only child of busy, working parents led recent University of Auckland PhD graduate Grace Wei (Xingyu Wei) to her later fascination with  children and teenagers' emotional wellbeing.

Grace graduated in the University’s 9 December ceremony with not only a PhD in developmental psychology, but also a Master of Arts in education and a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts, also in education.

Back home in Shandong Province, China, she says she was brought up by her grandmother as both her parents were so occupied with work.

“After starting elementary school, I rejoined my parents, yet I spent my days largely on my own, going to school, returning home, and eating lunch by myself, with my parents only coming back in the evenings. This way of life continued until I left for university.”

She says these experiences shaped her into someone accustomed to managing emotions and solving problems by herself.

“In many Chinese families, emotional communication between parents and children tends to be limited, and throughout my childhood, I often longed for someone to talk to and confide in. This inner longing was the driving force behind my decision to study child psychology.”

Qualifying as a counsellor in China, she says, confirmed her belief that understanding a child’s inner world is the most critical step towards earning their trust.

With her parents’ support, her studies ended up taking her to New Zealand in 2013, where she swapped from a previous university major to studying psychology at the University of Auckland, later pursuing postgraduate studies in education, focusing on developmental psychology.

“My masters research was on behavioural regulation in Chinese pre-school children. I looked at gender differences, cultural comparisons, and links to parenting practices, and it was a formative experience.”

Grace says recruiting participants and conducting home visits gave her both practical skills and the confidence to imagine a research career, and the search for a PhD project led her to an unexpected opportunity.

“On the recommendation of my masters supervisor, Dr Louise Keown, I joined a project at the Liggins Institute focusing on babies born at risk of neonatal hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Initially, I’d hesitated because my background was in psychology, not medicine.

“However, I realised this was a unique chance to apply my expertise in child development to a practical, health-focused study that could make a real difference in children’s lives, both physically and psychologically.”

She initially found the transition challenging.

“Surrounded by researchers from medical backgrounds, I sometimes felt out of my depth. But with the invaluable guidance of my supervisors, Dr Chris McKinlay and Dr Nike Franke, and my PhD supervisor, Professor Dame Jane Harding, I came to trust that I had something valuable to offer the project.”
 

Her thesis, ‘Early School Age Outcomes after Exposure to Neonatal Hypoglycaemia and Prophylactic Dextrose Gel,’ found that the applying dextrose gel into the cheeks of newborn babies at risk of hypoglycaemia is safe and may improve their motor skills and cognitive outcomes. She also provided new data on incidence rates and evaluated screening tools for at-risk children.

Glucose is the brain’s main fuel. In newborns, especially preterm or at-risk infants, low blood sugar can deprive the brain of energy (neuroglycopenia), and severe or prolonged hypoglycaemia can cause permanent injury to areas of the brain responsible for vision, motor control, and cognition.

Grace says the most meaningful part of her PhD has been the direct connection with families of children involved in the hypoglycaemia study.

“I conducted over 50 follow-up assessments across New Zealand, evaluating cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and health outcomes for these children. I noticed that Chinese families, for example, often find it hard raising and educating their children in Aotearoa, and language barriers can prevent them from accessing studies, assessments, and professional guidance.”

She found her cultural and linguistic background acted as a bridge which helped to significantly increase the participation and follow-up rates of Chinese families in the research.

“For families who are very concerned about their child’s development, being able to provide reassurance in their own language that their child is thriving felt like a privilege. For those where we identified potential issues, we were able to offer culturally sensitive guidance for early intervention.”

She says in her ongoing role as a follow-up assessor, that sense of making a difference for around 500 families has been the best reward.

“My lifelong motivation is to be for others the supportive adult I needed myself as a teenager; helping them navigate their way through difficult situations and towards a brighter future.”