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Dr Cindy Towns

Contact Details

Email
cindy.towns@ccdhb.org.nz

University Links

Position
Honorary Senior Lecturer
Department
Bioethics Centre
Qualifications
BSc(High Hons) MB ChB PhD
Research summary
Bioethics, health policy, general medicine, and geriatrics
Memberships
Specialist Advisory Committee for Geriatrics, Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Clinical
Internal medicine and geriatrics

Research

My research interests are broad. My PhD analysed the scientific, ethical and regulatory issues pertaining to stem cell research and resulted in 3 publications.

I have co-authored a paper on the prevalence of walking to school with reference to childhood obesity and also published a critique of Don Brash's original and highly controversial Orewa Speech. We argue that it was misleading and risked further undermining Maori Health.

In terms of medicine I have co-authored a case report on New Zealand's first case of extensively drug resistant Tuberculosis and am the primary investigator for the Dunedin site of the ISOPP study – an international study examining differences in prescribing practices for pain in medical in-patients.

I have just finished a paper, co-authored with Professor Dave Gerrard, on blood doping which is under review with an Australian journal.

Publications

Towns, C., & Ballantyne, A. (2023). Blowing the whistle on mixed gender hospital rooms in Australia and New Zealand: A human rights issue. Journal of Medical Ethics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1136/jme-2023-109080

Towns, C., Balakrishnan, S., Florkowski, C., Davies, A., & Barrington-Ward, E. (2022). High penetrance, recurrent attacks and thrombus formation in a family with hereditary coproporphyria. JIMD Reports, 63, 211-215. doi: 10.1002/jmd2.12281

Towns, C. R., Rowley, N., & Woods, L. (2022). Mixed gender accommodation: Prevalence, trend over time and vulnerability of older adults. Internal Medicine Journal, 52, 474-478. doi: 10.1111/imj.15712

Lakshman, P., Zhang, C., Balm, M., Morice, Y., & Towns, C. (2020). Blood brothers: Tattoo sepsis in two Samoan men. New Zealand Medical Journal, 133(1526), 102-104. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Towns, C., Mee, H., & McBride, S. (2020). Opioid dependence with successful transition to suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) in a young woman with hereditary coproporphyria. New Zealand Medical Journal, 133(1518), 81-83. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Towns, C. R., & Jones, D. G. (2006). Stem cells: Public policy and ethics [Reprinted from New Zealand Bioethics Journal, 5(1), 2004, pp. 22-28]. In M. Ruse & C. A. Pynes (Eds.), The stem cell controversy: Debating the issues. (2nd ed.) (pp. 329-341). Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.

Chapter in Book - Research

Towns, C., & Ballantyne, A. (2023). Blowing the whistle on mixed gender hospital rooms in Australia and New Zealand: A human rights issue. Journal of Medical Ethics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1136/jme-2023-109080

Journal - Research Article

Burden, M., Keniston, A., Wallace, M. A., Busse, J. W., Casademont, J., Chadaga, S. R., … Towns, C. R., … Albert, R. K. (2019). Opioid utilization and perception of pain control in hospitalized patients: A cross-sectional study of 11 sites in 8 countries. Journal of Hospital Medicine, 14(12), 737-745. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3256

Journal - Research Article

Towns, C. R., & Gerrard, D. F. (2014). A fool's game: Blood doping in sport. Performance Enhancement & Health, 3(1), 54-58. doi: 10.1016/j.peh.2014.11.001

Journal - Research Article

Yelavich, S., Towns, C., Burt, R., Chow, K., Donohue, R., Sani, H. S. H., Taylor, K., Gray, A., Eberhart-Phillips, J., & Reeder, A. I. (2008). Walking to school: Frequency and predictors among primary school children in Dunedin, New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal, 121(1271). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/121-1271/2976/content.pdf

Journal - Research Article

Jones, D. G., & Towns, C. R. (2006). Navigating the quagmire: The regulation of human embryonic stem cell research. Human Reproduction, 21(5), 1113-1116.

Journal - Research Article

Towns, C. R., & Jones, D. G. (2004). Stem cells, embryos, and the environment: A context for both science and ethics. Journal of Medical Ethics, 30, 410-413.

Journal - Research Article

Towns, C. R., & Jones, D. G. (2004). Stem cells: Public policy and ethics. New Zealand Bioethics Journal, 5(1), 22-28.

Journal - Research Article

Towns, C. R., Rowley, N., & Woods, L. (2022). Mixed gender accommodation: Prevalence, trend over time and vulnerability of older adults. Internal Medicine Journal, 52, 474-478. doi: 10.1111/imj.15712

Journal - Research Other

Towns, C., Balakrishnan, S., Florkowski, C., Davies, A., & Barrington-Ward, E. (2022). High penetrance, recurrent attacks and thrombus formation in a family with hereditary coproporphyria. JIMD Reports, 63, 211-215. doi: 10.1002/jmd2.12281

Journal - Research Other

Ballantyne, A., Rogers, W. A., Entwistle, V., & Towns, C. (2020). Revisiting the equity debate in COVID-19: ICU is no panacea. Journal of Medical Ethics, 46(10), 641-645. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2020-106460

Journal - Research Other

Lakshman, P., Zhang, C., Balm, M., Morice, Y., & Towns, C. (2020). Blood brothers: Tattoo sepsis in two Samoan men. New Zealand Medical Journal, 133(1526), 102-104. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Journal - Research Other

Towns, C., Mee, H., & McBride, S. (2020). Opioid dependence with successful transition to suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) in a young woman with hereditary coproporphyria. New Zealand Medical Journal, 133(1518), 81-83. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Journal - Research Other

Carleton, O., Mein Smith, F., & Towns, C. (2019). A rare provocation: A case of extensive pulmonary embolism in a man with previously undiagnosed Klinefelter Syndrome. New Zealand Medical Journal, 132(1502), 96-98. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Journal - Research Other

Lambie, D., Florkowski, C., Sies, C., Raizis, A., Siu, W.-K., & Towns, C. (2018). A case of hereditary coproporphyria with posterior reversible encephalopathy and novel coproporphyrinogen oxidase gene mutation c.863T>G (p.Leu288Trp). Annals of Clinical Biochemistry, 55(5), 616-619. doi: 10.1177/0004563218774597

Journal - Research Other

Towns, C. R. (2017). The science and ethics of cell-based therapies for Parkinson's disease. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, 34, 1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2016.10.012

Journal - Research Other

MacKenzie, E., Towns, C., Tiong, I. S., & Petrich, S. (2015). Primary endometrial uterine Burkitt lymphoma in a 65-year-old woman. Gynecologic Oncology Reports, 13, 30-32. doi: 10.1016/j.gore.2015.05.003

Journal - Research Other

Towns, C., Watkins, N., Salter, A., Boyd, P., & Parkin, L. (2004). The Orewa speech: Another threat to Maori health? [Viewpoint]. New Zealand Medical Journal, 117(1205). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/117-1205/1145/content.pdf

Journal - Research Other

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