Professor Joe Boden
Research Professor Joe Boden (BA, MA, PhD) is the Director of the Christchurch Health and Development Study at the University of Otago, Christchurch. His research interests include longitudinal studies and psychiatric epidemiology. In particular, lifecourse trajectories and consequences of substance use and mental health disorders. He is the biostatistician for the Youth Transitions Research Project (Massey University), and is involved in research collaborations with groups in Australia, the UK and the United States.
Professor Jonathan Broadbent
Professor Jonathan Broadbent (BDS, PGDipComDent, PhD) is a dental public health specialist and associate professor at the University of Otago. Jonathan is the Principal Investigator on the Health Research Council funded Dunedin Study project 'Oral health from childhood to mid-life'. He investigates the long-term effects of social inequalities and dental health problems in dental diseases. Jonathan collaborates on national and international projects. He has received multiple awards including a 2014 'Building Bridges Award' from the Association for Psychological Science (USA) and the NZ Outstanding Young Dentist Award (2011-2012).
Dr Will Edwards
Dr Will Edwards (BHort, BA, MPhil, PhD; Ngāruahine, Taranaki, Tāngahoe, Pakakohi, Ngāti Ruanui) is a Director of Taumata Associates (a Māori public health consultancy), a Principal Investigator on the longitudinal research project – Te Kura Mai i Tawhiti, and a Co-Investigator on the Dunedin Study. He is a former Iwi chair (Te Korowai o Ngāruahine Trust) and former member of the national Iwi Chairs' Forum and led their Iwi Data Leadership Group. He is the Chair of the Ageing Well National Science Challenge Governance group and an expert in the area of Māori ageing. He is a former HRC Hōhua Tutengaehe Postdoctoral Research Fellow.
Dr Jesse Kokaua
Dr Jesse Kokaua (BSc, MSc [Statistics], PhD] is a Senior Research Fellow for two Pacific departments at the University of Otago and is employed as an evaluator for Pasifika Futures, New Zealand's Pacific Whanau Ora commissioning agency. He has worked on a number of national studies (e.g. the New Zealand Mental Health Survey). He has published in the areas of health, predominantly mental health, usually focusing on the needs of Pacific communities. Jesse is a HRC Sir Thomas Davis Te Patu Kite Rangi Ariki Health Research Fellow.
Associate Professor Rachael McLean
Associate Professor Rachael McLean (BA, MBChB, MPH, PhD, FNZCPHM) is a Public Health Physician and Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine in the Dunedin School of Medicine. Rachael's research interests include public health, nutrition and epidemiology, and the development of chronic disease. She has published in the areas of public health and nutritional approaches to reduce obesity and type two diabetes and hypertension including dietary sodium assessment and reduction strategies. She has acted as an advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) and governmental organisations. Rachael is an Investigator in the Dunedin Study and the Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre.
Dr Sandhya Ramrakha
Dr Sandhya Ramrakha (BA, MA, MA[Hons], ClinPsy, PhD) is a Senior Research Fellow and the Research Manager for the Dunedin Study. Sandhya's research interests include links between mental and sexual health, with specific reference to risky sexual behaviour; and mental health and psychosocial correlates and consequences of skin conditions. As part of the Dunedin Study research team, she is also involved in aging research.
Dr Mihi Ratima
Dr Mihi Ratima (BSc, GradDipMaoriDev, DPH, PhD; Whakatōhea, Ngāti Awa) is a Director of Taumata Associates (a Māori public health consultancy) and a leading academic in Māori public health and kaupapa Māori research. She is a Principal Investigator on the longitudinal research project Te Kura Mai i Tawhiti and was an inaugural 2016 HRC Ngā Pou Senior Māori Health Research Fellow. She is a former Associate Professor in Māori Health and Director of Māori Health Research at the Auckland University of Technology. Her international experience includes work as a Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow at Harvard University, a World Health Organisation analyst and a Fulbright Scholar at the University of New Mexico.
Professor Rose Richards
Professor Rosalina Richards (B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD) is Director of the Centre for Pacific Health in Va'a o Tautai, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago and Associate Dean Pacific Pacific for the Dunedin School of Medicine. She is Principal Investigator on a HRC Pacific Project about sleep health among Pacific families and part of the Big Data team of the Better Start National Science Challenge. As former co-Director of the Cancer Society and Behavioral Research Unit she has published across a variety of cancer prevention areas, including physical activity, nutrition, tobacco control and supportive care.
Dr Nichola Shackleton
Dr Nichola Shackleton (BSc, MRes Education & Social Research, PhD) is a Research Fellow for the Centre for Methods and Policy Application in the Social Sciences (COMPASS) at the University of Auckland. Her research interests include inequalities in child and adolescent health and the interplay between the school environment and child and adolescent health. She uses advanced quantitative methodology to analyse survey data, and works with 'big data' in the Integrated Data Infrastructure. Nichola completed her PhD on "Socioeconomic Inequalities in Childhood Excessive Weight in the UK" at the UCL Institute of Education (London) in 2014, which involved using data from four British birth cohort studies. She worked with the Adolescent Health Research team at the UCL Institute of Child Health (London) until September 2015, and is an Honorary Research fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Honorary Associate Professor Andrew Sporle
Andrew Sporle (MA[Hons], PGDipPH; Ngati Apa, Rangitane, Te Rarawa) is an Honorary Associate Professor in the Statistics Department at the University of Auckland. A former HRC Māori research manager, his current research focuses on indigenous statistics, social inequities and the application of existing research and official data resources to Māori development. He is the Managing Director of iNZight Analytics Ltd, Deputy Director of the Healthier Lives National Science Challenge. He is a founding member of Te Mana Rauraunga.
Associate Professor Mele Taumoepeau
Associate Professor Mele Taumoepeau (BA, BSc[Hons], PhD) is based at Victoria University of Wellington. She conducts small longitudinal studies examining the effects of parent-child interactions on very young children's socio-cognitive development. She investigates the role of culture on childhood development, especially the development of Pasifika children. Mele is an investigator in the Graduate Longitudinal Study New Zealand and was previously chair of the HRC Pacific Research Committee. She was also previously Associate Dean, Pacific for the Sciences Division at the University of Otago.
Associate Professor Lisa Te Morenga
Associate Professor Lisa Te Morenga (BForSc[Hons], BSc, PhD; Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi) is an Associate Professor at the Research Centre for Hauora and Health at Massey University, Wellington. She leads research investigating the role of sugars and wholegrains on health outcomes, contributing to the recent WHO nutrition recommendations on fats, sugar and carbohydrates. She is a co-investigator in the Dunedin Study. She collaborates with Māori health providers on multicentre projects to improve Māori health and wellbeing.
Professor Gareth Treharne
Professor Gareth Treharne (BSc[Hons], PhD, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society) is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Otago. He has carried out extensive longitudinal research on the well-being of people with chronic illnesses, particularly rheumatoid arthritis. He has expertise on statistical approaches to longitudinal analyses as well as qualitative and community-focused approaches to knowledge translation including developing interventions. He has published in the fields of health psychology, health behaviour, rheumatology, sexuality and gender identity, and cultural identity. He is an investigator in Te Kura Mai i Tawhiti.
Dr Karen Tustin
Dr Karen Tustin (BA[Hons], PhD) is a Research Fellow in the NCLR. She is the Director of the Graduate Longitudinal Study New Zealand, a longitudinal study designed to understand the value of a New Zealand tertiary education by following a large cohort of university graduates for 10 years post-graduation. In addition to studying graduate outcomes, Karen's other research interests include developmental psychobiology, and memory development and its relation to childhood amnesia.