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Anja Mizdrak image 2020DPhil
Senior Research Fellow

Contact details

Tel +64 4 918 6192
Email anja.mizdrak@otago.ac.nz

Research interests and activities

Dr Anja Mizdrak is a public health researcher who specialises in quantitative modelling. Her work has covered multiple topics including alcohol, transport, physical activity, COVID-19, and nutrition. Anja is interested in the role of modelling in public health policy and practice, and the wider societal impacts of health behaviours and interventions, such as impacts on inequities and the environment. She currently works across multiple projects including:

  • Seeking the Transport Sweet Spot: health, equity, and zero carbon (led by Associate Professor Caroline Shaw)
  • Prioritising Māori health and equity: a critical approach to modelling (led by Associate Professor Melissa McLeod)

Anja joined the University of Otago in 2017 to work on the Burden of Disease Epidemiology, Equity and Cost-Effectiveness Programme (BODE³). Prior to joining the University, Anja completed her PhD which investigated the impact of health-related food taxes and subsidies in the UK, specifically focusing on differential impacts by household income. Anja's interest in public health began during her undergraduate degree in Human Sciences at the University of Oxford.

Publications

Chambers, T., Mizdrak, A., Herbert, S., Davies, A., & Jones, A. (2024). The estimated health impact of alcohol interventions in New Zealand: A modelling study. Addiction, 119, 125-136. doi: 10.1111/add.16331

Bergen, T., Richards, J., Kira, G., Kim, A. H. M., Signal, L., & Mizdrak, A. (2023). The effectiveness of secondary-school based interventions on the future physical activity of Aotearoa New Zealand adolescents: A modelling study. Journal of Sport & Exercise Science, 7(4), (pp. 109-110). doi: 10.36905/jses.2023.04.01

Bergen, T., Kira, G., Richards, J., Kim, A. H. M., Signal, L., & Mizdrak, A. (2023). The future effectiveness of Indigenous Māori practice considerations on an Aotearoa adolescent-focused, active transport policy intervention: A modelling study. Journal of Sport & Exercise Science, 7(4), (pp. 105-106). doi: 10.36905/jses.2023.04.01

Bergen, T., Kim, A., Mizdrak, A., Signal, L., Kira, G., & Richards, J. (2023). Determinants of long-term physical activity participation in New Zealand adolescents across sociodemographic groups: A descriptive study. Proceedings of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) Annual Meeting. (pp. 401). International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Retrieved from https://2023.isbnpa.org

Mizdrak, A., Tatah, L., Mueller, N., Shaw, C., & Woodcock, J. (2023). Assessing the health impacts of changes in active transport: An updated systematic review. Journal of Transport & Health, 33, 101702. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2023.101702

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