Professor Gillian Abel, Our people, University of Otago, Christchurch, University of Otago, New Zealand

Head of Department

DipTech(Cape Technicon) MPH PhD(Otago) PGCertHighE

Email gillian.abel@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 364 3619

Department of Population Health
University of Otago, Christchurch
PO Box 4345
Christchurch 8140

Background

Gillian Abel’s early background was in haematology before taking a career change to public health. She joined the Department of Public Health and General Practice at the University of Otago, Christchurch in 1997 and holds a PhD in public health from this University.

Gillian is expert in mixed methods research using community-based participatory approaches. Her research focuses on vulnerable populations such as sex workers, vulnerable youth and Pacific people. Sex work research is a field in which she has extensive expertise. Her research in this field is firmly located in public health but she applies a sociological lens by analysing data in the context of structural opportunities and constraints faced by sex workers, drawing on concepts of stigma; theories of social exclusion; theories of risk; and feminist theories.

She led a large Health Research Council funded national research project looking at the impact of the Prostitution Reform Act (2003) on the health and safety of sex workers and this study has been influential in informing policy both in New Zealand and internationally. She is currently a collaborator on a large Canadian team project looking at vulnerabilities in the Canadian sex industry.

Gillian teaches two papers in the post-graduate Diploma in Public Health and also teaches into the undergraduate medical programme. She has supervised many students on a variety of public health and health sciences topics.

She is particularly keen to supervise Masters and PhD students with an interest in

Vulnerable or stigmatised population groups
Community-based research approaches
Qualitative and mixed methods research approaches

Teaching

PUBH 724 Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods (Convenor)
PUBH 723 Survey Methods
PUBH 744 Healthy Public Policy
Qualitative Research Methods (ALM 4th year medical students)

Research Interests

Sex work research
Youth health
Community-based participatory research
Qualitative research

Public Lectures

The Christchurch Street-Based Sex Work Collaborative Project: A community development approach. ^{Lecture to Sex and Consequences New Zealand Update, Oxford Terrace Baptists Church Lounge, 12 June 2019.}
No longer a disposable population?: Decriminalization and social justice for sex workers in New Zealand.
^{Lecture to Probus group, Russley Golf Club, 19 November 2018.}
Street-based sex work in Christchurch. ^{Presentation at Community meeting on street-based sex work, Salvation Army, Christchurch, 24 July 2018}
From harm minimisation to social justice: a public health perspective on decriminalisation of sex work in New Zealand.
^{Lecture to University of the Third Age, 11 July 2017, Christchurch.}
The NZPC and me: A long and productive collaboration.
^{Keynote Speaker at Insights" Sex work in New Zealand and Beyond Symposium, 12 February 2016, Wellington}
Decriminalisation of sex work: Has the Prostitution Reform Act resulted in healthier and safer sex workers?
^{Winter Lecture Series: Illuminating New Knowledge, University of Otago, Auckland Centre, 28 July, 2011}.
Decriminalisation of sex work: Has the Prostitution Reform Act resulted in healthier and safer sex workers?
^{Winter Lecture Series: Illuminating New Knowledge, University of Otago, James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, Wellington, 27 July, 2011.}
The Impact of the Prostitution Reform Act on the Health and Safety of Sex Workers,
^{Going All the Way Seminar, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, 25 June 2008.}
The Prostitution Reform Act _ New Zealand’s experience,
^{University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 31 October 2007}

Projects

Contexts affecting adolescent sexual initiation [completed]
The impact of the PRA on the health and safety practices of sex workers
Exiting the sex industry: an indepth exploration of strategies used by ex-sex workers
Team Grant on contexts of vulnerabilities, resiliencies and care among people in the sex industry.
The ‘lived experience’ of HIV: aging, place and social support
Exploring Migrant Sex Workers’ experience of working in New Zealand
Street-based sex workers in the community: exploring community tensions, and experiences of violence and coercion
Work practices and safety of internet-based sex work in New Zealand

Student: Claire Weinhold
Degree: PhD
Topic: Decriminalisation and the management of brothels in Aotearoa/New Zealand
Co-Supervisor: Lee Thompson

Student: Christina McKerchar
Degree: PhD
Topic: Food Availability for Māori Children – a rights-based approach
Co-supervisors: Louise Signal and Cameron Lacey

Student: Lev Zhuravsky
Degree: PhD
Topic: Creating Resilience in Health Care Organizations. Role of Shared Leadership in Realigning a Gap between Work as Imagined and Work as Done
Co-Supervisor: Lee Thompson

Student: Hayley Lewis-Pullan
Degree: MHealSc
Topic: Halted recovery: Understanding the internal experience of people who feel stuck in opioid recovery.
Co-Supervisor: Simon Adamson

2020

Student: Rachael Dixon
Degree: PhD
Topic: Exploring the long-term outcomes of senior secondary school Health Education in New Zealand
Co Supervisor: L Burrows

Student: Toyin Kolawole
Degree: PhD
Topic: African Migrants and HIV
Co Supervisor: Lee Thompson

Student: Susan Bidwell
Degree: PhD
Topic: An exploration of people’s use of dietary supplements and herbal medicines
Co-Supervisor: Lee Thompson

2019

Student: Chidimma Aham-Chiabuotu
Degree: PhD
Topic: Exploring Alternative Resources for Raising Awareness, Prevention and Reporting of Sexual violence against Internally Displaced Women of Reproductive Age in North Eastern Nigeria
Co-Supervisor: Lee Thompson

Student: Rebecca Dell
Degree: MPH
Topic: Parents’ attitudes to the HPV vaccination for their daughters.
Co-supervisor: Cheryl Brunton

Student: Melissa Ludeke
Degree: MPH
Topic: I believe once I'm happy with myself I won't need to smoke: Women's views on smoking, tobacco control and cessation.
Co-supervisor:Dr Lee Thompson

Student: Jo Powell,
Degree: MHealSc
Topic: “It’s a different feeling of satisfaction dealing with old people”; perceptions of paid caregivers working in aged residential care.
Co-supervisor: Dr Lee Thompson

2010

Student: Cheryl Ford
Degree: MPH
Topic: Practitioners' perspectives of the barriers to health promotion evaluation.
Co-supervisor: Dr Lee Thompson

Student: Gillian Pearce,
Degree: MHealSc
Topic: Open disclosure of adverse events at Christchurch Hospital; a doctor's perspective.
Co-supervisor: Pauline Barnett

2009

Student: Laura Aileone
Degree: MPH
Topic: Topic: Recruitment & retention of midwives within the Canterbury District Health Board.
Co-supervisor: Suzanne Pitama

Student: Lil Convery
Degree: MPH
Topic: Understanding success in the Green Prescription Programme: A qualitative investigation into patient perspectives about physical activity.
Co-supervisor: Dee Mangin

Student: Lauren Cundall
Degree: MPH
Topic: Finding the offline self in a world online: A phenomenological analysis of massive multiplayer online role playing gaming as a vehicle for adolescent identity.
Co-supervisor: Ria Schroder (National Addiction Centre)

Student: Judith Henninger
Degree: MPH
Topic: Knowledge, attitudes & intentions of General Practitioners and Practice Nurses in Christchurch about HPV & HPV vaccines.
Co-supervisor: Les Toop

2007

Student: Katie Brown
Degree: MPH
Topic: Exploring young women's understandings of the their first experience of sexual intercourse.
Co-supervisor: Lisa Fitzgerald

Student: Kirsty Donaldson
Degree: MPH
Topic: The contexts of young people’s decision-making in early & late sexual initiation.
Co-supervisor: Lisa Fitzgerald

Student: Nikki Rayne
Degree: MPH
Topic:Childhood Obesity: Do primary schools have a role in prevention?
Co-supervisor: Ann Richardson

Student: Tim D Weir
Degree: MPH
Topic: The implementation of occupational health and safety in the New Zealand brothel sector since decriminalisation: Perspectives of brothel operators, regulatory officers and the New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective.
Co-supervisor: Lisa Fitzgerald

2017-2018

logo - Pegasus Health (Charitable) Ltd Student: Jane Reeves
Topic: Meeting cultural competency learning needs of general practice reception staff.
Supervisors: Gillian Abel, Lynley Cook
Sponsor: Pegasus Health

2015–2016

Student: Anna Brinsdon
Topic: 'I am HIV but I am not a patient': Managing marginalised identities in health interactions.
Supervisors: Gillian Able, Jen Desrosiers

2012-2013

logo - Pegasus Health (Charitable) Ltd Student: Annabel Ludeke
Topic: Health literacy in general practice: describing practice nurses' understanding of health literacy.
Supervisors: Gillian Abel, Lynley Cook, Philip Schluter, Ramai Lord, Maria Pasene
Sponsor: Pegasus Health (Charitable) Ltd

2011-2012

Student: Kara Seers
Topic: The use of interpreter services in general practice in Canterbury.
Supervisors: Philip Schluter, Gillian Abel, Lynley Cook

2006-2007

logo - hrc Student: Nicholas Pascoe
Topic: A critical media analysis of print media reporting on the implementation of the Prostitution Reform Act, 2003-2006.
Supervisors: Lisa Fitzgerald, Gillian Abel, Cheryl Brunton [Dept Public Health & General Practice]
Sponsor: Health Research Council of NZ

2005-2006

Student: Tim Weir
Topic: Post-reform reflections on prostitution legislation: analysis of Phase I context-setting focus groups.
Co-Supervisors: Gillian Abel, Lisa Fitzgerald
Sponsor: Public Health Theme

^ Top of page

Publications

Abel, G., & Ludeke, M. (2021). Business like any other? New Zealand’s brothel industry post-decriminalisation. Culture, Health & Sexuality. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2021.1942553

Abel, G., & Healy, C. (2021). Sex worker-led provision of services in New Zealand: Optimising health and safety in a decriminalised context. In S. M. Goldenberg, R. Morgan Thomas, A. Forbes & S. Baral (Eds.), Sex work, health, and human rights: Global inequities, challenges, and opportunities for action. (pp. 175-188). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-64171-9_10

McKerchar, C., Lacey, C., Abel, G., & Signal, L. (2021). Ensuring the right to food for indigenous children: A case study of stakeholder perspectives on policy options to ensure the rights of tamariki Māori to healthy food. International Journal for Equity in Health, 20, 67. doi: 10.1186/s12939-021-01407-4

Dixon, R., Abel, G., & Burrows, L. (2021). Putting assemblage to work to explore pedagogical practices in health education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Health Education, 121(2), 174-188. doi: 10.1108/HE-05-2020-0034

Abel, G., & Ludeke, M. (2021). Brothels as sites of third-party exploitation? Decriminalisation and sex workers’ employment rights. Social Sciences, 10, 3. doi: 10.3390/socsci10010003

Armstrong, L., & Abel, G. (Eds.). (2020). Sex work and the New Zealand model: Decriminalisation and social change. Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press, 244p. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1453kvn

Edited Book - Research

Abel, G., Fitzgerald, L., Healy, C., & with Taylor, A. (Eds.). (2010). Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. Bristol, UK: Policy Press, 271p.

Edited Book - Research

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G. (2020). Contested space: Street-based sex workers and community engagement. In L. Armstrong & G. Abel (Eds.), Sex work and the New Zealand model: Decriminalisation and social change. (pp. 199-221). Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1453kvn.15

Chapter in Book - Research

Armstrong, L., & Abel, G. (2020). Introduction. In L. Armstrong & G. Abel (Eds.), Sex work and the New Zealand model: Decriminalisation and social change. (pp. 1-16). Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1453kvn.6

Chapter in Book - Research

Armstrong, L., Abel, G., & Roguski, M. (2020). Fear of trafficking or implicit prejudice? Migrant sex workers and the impacts of Section 19. In L. Armstrong & G. Abel (Eds.), Sex work and the New Zealand model: Decriminalisation and social change. (pp. 113-134). Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1453kvn.11

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G. (2018). Decriminalisation and social justice: A public health perspective on sex work. In S. A. FitzGerald & K. McGarry (Eds.), Realising justice for sex workers: An agenda for change. (pp. 123-140). London, UK: Rowman & Littlefield International.

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G. (2017). In search of a fair and free society: The regulation of sex work in New Zealand. In E. Ward & G. Wylie (Eds.), Feminism, prostitution and the state: The politics of neo-abolitionism. (pp. 140-154). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2010). Conclusion. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 259-264). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2010). Decriminalisation and stigma. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 239-258). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2010). Introduction. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 1-24). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2010). Risk and risk management in sex work post-Prostitution Reform Act: A public health perspective. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 217-238). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G., Fitzgerald, L., & Brunton, C. (2010). Christchurch School of Medicine study: Methodology and methods. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 159-172). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G., Healy, C., Bennachie, C., & Reed, A. (2010). The Prostitution Reform Act. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 75-84). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Fitzgerald, L., & Abel, G. (2010). The media and the Prostitution Reform Act. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 197-216). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G., & Ludeke, M. (2021). Brothels as sites of third-party exploitation? Decriminalisation and sex workers’ employment rights. Social Sciences, 10, 3. doi: 10.3390/socsci10010003

Journal - Research Article

Aham-Chiabuotu, C. B., Abel, G., & Thompson, L. (2021). 'Men don't have patience': Sexuality, pleasure and danger in displacement settings in Northcentral Nigeria. Global Public Health, 16(5), 801-813. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2019.1690539

Journal - Research Article

Benoit, C., Maurice, R., Abel, G., Smith, A., Jansson, M., Healey, P., & Magnuson, D. (2020). 'I dodged the stigma bullet': Canadian sex workers' situated responses to occupational stigma. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 22(1), 81-95. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2019.1576226

Journal - Research Article

McKerchar, C., King, P., Lacey, C., Abel, G., & Signal, L. (2020). Rights-based approaches to improving food availability for tamariki Māori: A narrative literature review and theory-based synthesis. MAI Journal, 9(3), 237-248. doi: 10.20507/MAIJournal.2020.9.3.6

Journal - Research Article

McKerchar, C., Smith, M., Gage, R., Williman, J., Abel, G., Lacey, C., Ni Mhurchu, C., & Signal, L. (2020). Kids in a candy store: An objective analysis of children's interactions with food in convenience stores. Nutrients, 12(7), 2143. doi: 10.3390/nu12072143

Journal - Research Article

McKerchar, C., Smith, M., Stanley, J., Barr, M., Chambers, T., Abel, G., Lacey, C., Gage, R., … Signal, L. (2020). Food store environment examination: FoodSee: A new method to study the food store environment using wearable cameras. Global Health Promotion, 27(3), 73-81. doi: 10.1177/1757975919859575

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G., & Thompson, L. (2018). "I don't want to look like an AIDS victim": A New Zealand case study of facial lipoatrophy. Health & Social Care in the Community, 26(1), 41-47. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12459

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G., & Wahab, S. (2017). “Build a friendship with them”: The discourse of “at-risk” as a barrier to relationship building between young people who trade sex and social workers. Child & Family Social Work, 22(4), 1391-1398. doi: 10.1111/cfs.12357

Journal - Research Article

Brinsdon, A., Abel, G., & Desrosiers, J. (2017). "I'm taking control": How people living with HIV/AIDS manage stigma in health interactions. AIDS Care, 29(2), 185-188. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2016.1204420

Journal - Research Article

Desrosiers, J., Wilkinson, T., Abel, G., & Pitama, S. (2016). Curricular initiatives that enhance student knowledge and perceptions of sexual and gender minority groups: A critical interpretive synthesis. Canadian Medical Education Journal, 7(2), e121-e138.

Journal - Research Article

Thompson, L., & Abel, G. (2016). The work of negotiating HIV as a chronic condition: A qualitative analysis. AIDS Care, 28(12), 1571-1576. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2016.1191615

Journal - Research Article

Wahab, S., & Abel, G. (2016). The Prostitution Reform Act (2003) and social work in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Affilia, 31(4), 418-433. doi: 10.1177/0886109916647764

Journal - Research Article

Meriluoto, L., Webb, R., Masselot, A., Morrish, S., & Abel, G. (2015). Safety in the New Zealand sex industry. New Zealand Economic Papers, 49(3), 296-317. doi: 10.1080/00779954.2015.1041548

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. (2014). Sex workers’ utilisation of health services in a decriminalised environment. New Zealand Medical Journal, 127(1390). Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M. (2014). A decade of decriminalization: Sex work 'down under' but not underground. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 14(5), 580-592. doi: 10.1177/1748895814523024

Journal - Research Article

Seers, K., Cook, L., Abel, G., Schluter, P. J., & Bridgford, P. (2013). Is it time to talk? Interpreter services use in general practice within Canterbury. Journal of Primary Health Care, 5(2), 129-137.

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., & Fitzgerald, L. J. (2012). ‘The street's got its advantages’: Movement between sectors of the sex industry in a decriminalised environment. Health, Risk & Society, 14(1), 7-23. doi: 10.1080/13698575.2011.640664

Journal - Research Article

Ludeke, M., Puni, R., Cook, L., Pasene, M., Abel, G., & Sopoaga, F. (2012). Access to general practice for Pacific peoples: A place for cultural competency. Journal of Primary Health Care, 4(2), 123-130.

Journal - Research Article

Thompson, L., Reeder, T., & Abel, G. (2012). 'I can't get my husband to go and have a colonoscopy': Gender and screening for colorectal cancer. Health, 16(3), 235-249. doi: 10.1177/1363459311403948

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M. (2011). Different stage, different performance: The protective strategy of role play on emotional health in sex work. Social Science & Medicine, 72(7), 1177-1184. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.01.021

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., & Thompson, L. (2011). What do specialists and GPs think about the introduction of colorectal cancer screening? A qualitative study. New Zealand Medical Journal, 124(1338). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/124-1338/4756/content.pdf

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., & Thompson, L. E. (2011). General practitioners, specialists and surveillance guidelines: Interpreting the socio-clinical context of decision-making. Health, Risk & Society, 13(6), 547-559. doi: 10.1080/13698575.2011.615826

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., Fitzgerald, L. J., & Brunton, C. (2009). The impact of decriminalisation on the number of sex workers in New Zealand. Journal of Social Policy, 38(3), 515-531. doi: 10.1017/s0047279409003080

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., & Fitzgerald, L. J. (2008). On a fast-track into adulthood: An exploration of transitions into adulthood for street-based sex workers in New Zealand. Journal of Youth Studies, 11(4), 361-376. doi: 10.1080/13676260802104808

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2006). 'When you come to it you feel like a dork asking a guy to put a condom on': Is sex education addressing young people's understandings of risk? Sex Education, 6(2), 105-119.

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G., & Brunton, C. (2005). Young people's use of condoms and their perceived vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 29(3), 254-260.

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., & Plumridge, E. W. (2004). Network 'norms' or 'styles' of 'drunken comportment'? Health Education Research, 19(5), 492-500.

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., Plumridge, E. W., & Graham, P. J. (2002). Peers, networks or relationships: Strategies for understanding social dynamics as determinants of smoking behaviour. Drugs, 9(4), 325-338.

Journal - Research Article

Corwin, P., Abel, G., Wells, J. E., Coughlan, E., Bagshaw, S., Sutherland, M., & Plumridge, L. (2002). Chlamydia trachomatis prevalence and sexual behaviour in Christchurch high school students. New Zealand Medical Journal, 115(1158). Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/115-1158/107/content.pdf

Journal - Research Article

Plumridge, E. W., Fitzgerald, L. J., & Abel, G. M. (2002). Performing coolness: Smoking refusal and adolescent identities. Health Education Research, 17(2), 167-179.

Journal - Research Article

Plumridge, E. W., & Abel, G. M. (2001). A 'segmented' sex industry in New Zealand: Sexual and personal safety of female sex workers. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 25(1), 78-83.

Journal - Research Article

Plumridge, E. W., & Abel, G. M. (2000). Services and information utilised by female sex workers for sexual and physical safety. New Zealand Medical Journal, 113, 370-372.

Journal - Research Article

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