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Contact Details

Phone
64 3 479 5686
Email
alison.rich@otago.ac.nz
Position
Professor
Department
Department of Oral Sciences
Qualifications
BDS(Otago) MDSc PhD(Melb) FRACDS FFOP(RCPA) FRCPath
Research summary
Current research interests are in the tumour microenvironment in oral cancer and immune regulation in oral lichen planus.
Clinical

Alison led the Oral Pathology Centre, which provides specialist diagnostic oral pathology reports to dentists, dental specialists, and anatomical pathologists.

The Centre:

  • Analyses 2,500–3,000 specimens annually
  • Is fully equiped and certified for histopathology with accreditation in Medical Laboratory Testing (Histology) from International Accreditation New Zealand
  • Has Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA), accreditation for teaching oral pathology

Research

Professor Rich's research interests related to gaining a greater understanding of the pathogenesis of oral diseases, particularly oral cancer and oral lichen planus, to complement her clinical speciality of diagnostic oral pathology.

Her main research interest in oral cancer was in developing tools to more accurately predict the transformation of potentially malignant oral diseases to oral cancer and, investigation of the role of immune cells in the oral cancer environment. She has expertise in project design in these areas, in data analysis and in mentoring colleagues and post- and undergraduate students undertaking related projects. She has supervised numerous PhD and DClinDent students from around the world, with particular interest in supporting the development of diagnostic and research oral pathology in the Asia-Pacific region.

Professor Rich was the leader of the Oral Molecular and Immunopathology Programme of the Sir John Walsh Research Institute and had numerous international collaborative projects, especially with colleagues in Malaysia, Australia and Sri Lanka.

Additional details

Professor Rich is a past Chair of the Faculty of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) and is also a past Chief Examiner. She is an Associate Editor of Pathology, the journal of the RCPA. Her laboratory convenes the oral and maxillofacial Quality Assurance Programme for the RCPA.

Alison is the President Elect of the International Association of Oral Pathologists (IAOP) and was previously an IAOP Regional Councillor. She has participated in numerous IAOP congresses over the years.

Publications

Avery, N., Fukushima, K., Guan, G., Praganta, J., Rich, A., Vincent, M., & Robertson, S. (2024). Familial aggregation of keratinising desquamative squamous metaplasia in the urinary tract. BJU International, 133(Suppl. 3), 15-17. doi: 10.1111/bju.16160 Journal - Research Article

Rich, A. M. (2023). Foreword. In R. Balasubramaniam, S.-C. Yeoh, T. Yap & S. R. Prabhu (Eds.), Oral medicine: A clinical guide. (pp. vii-viii). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-36797-7_24 Chapter in Book - Other

Alsamahi, S., Milne, T. J., Hussaini, H. M., Rich, A. M., Cooper, P. R., & Friedlander, L. T. (2023). Effects of glycation end-products on the dental pulp in patients with type 2 diabetes. International Endodontic Journal, 56, 1373-1384. doi: 10.1111/iej.13966 Journal - Research Article

Edirisinghe, S. T., Devmini, T., Pathmaperuma, S., Weerasekera, M., de Silva, K., Liyanage, I., … Rich, A., De Silva, H., Hussaini, H., … Yasawardene, S. (2023). Risk assessment of alcohol consumption for oral cancer: A case-control study in patients attending the National Cancer Institute (Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama) of Sri Lanka. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 24, 1181-1185. doi: 10.31557/apjcp.2023.24.4.1181 Journal - Research Article

Rich, A. M., Hussaini, H. M., Mohd Nizar, M. A., Gavidi, R. O., Tauati-Williams, E., Yakin, M., & Seo, B. (2023). Diagnosis of oral potentially malignant disorders: Overview and experience in Oceania. Frontiers in Oral Health, 4, 1122497. doi: 10.3389/froh.2023.1122497 Journal - Research Other

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