Siobhan Bulfin – inducted 2020
Friday, 30 October 2020
Marsden Years: 1981 – 1985 (Year 9 – Year 13)
This award recognises Siobhan's contribution in the Health sector especially in the areas of mental health, social responsibility, and entrepreneurship. Her Company Melon Health is one of only three products recommended and funded to support mental well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Siobhan was a Marsden boarder coming from a large family in the Taranaki with an important ethic imbued in her – health and taking personal responsibility for it. She went to Victoria University where she studied a BA in English Literature and Political Science. This was a time when the internet was in its infancy and social media was barely heard of. Through travel, family experiences and a wide variety of work experience, Siobhan saw and understood the need for empowering people to manage their own health. Better outcomes could be achieved when clinicians, family and whanau, and the consumer, work together. In a world where health and its management is a business, and information technology is the norm, Siobhan knew that connecting people via a digital platform was the way of the future. Starting up such a platform is not easy and the barriers of lack of money and resistance to change are timeless. However, innovation, hard work, evidence-based research, access to IT and the rise in acceptance of social media have begun to alter this.

Melon Health, which Siobhan founded in 2012, meets the needs of all age groups including teenagers. A user friendly website, apps, webinars and journaling offer a variety of ways to enable people to take ownership of their health. The company has offices in New Zealand and the USA. It has won awards both nationally and internationally.

The Company's philosophy is as much for us as individuals as it is a company Health is social.
It is easy to see our life's journey as an individual path, separate from others. As humans we have the ability to connect deeply with each other and change hearts and behaviours for better health. Better together.