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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 479 7059
Email
hanna.olson@otago.ac.nz
Position
Senior Lecturer and Director of Dental Education Research
Department
Department of Oral Sciences
Qualifications
DentHyg MHSc MHEd (EdTech)
Research summary
Dental and Oral Health, Active Learning, Educational Technology and Interprofessional Education
Teaching
Oral health at postgraduate and undergraduate levels

Research

Hanna Olson’s research interest is centred around student experience. She contributes to the advancement of teaching and learning activities in particular for the group of oral health students. She is one of the IPE Leads within the Faculty of Dentistry involved in planning for and facilitating IPE activities across health professional educational programmes within the University.

Her research highlights a learner-centred approach to teaching using active learning strategies. She has partnered with a team of international academics and dental specialists to form innovative collaboration practices in digital dentistry. Together they design and develop eLearning material as shared resources for early learning in dental and oral health programmes.

Publications

Olson, H., Adam, L., Carrington, S. D., Malmqvist, S., Christidis, N., Clarke, F., … Tawse-Smith, A. (2026). Interactive e-learning lessons in patient-centred interview: An international multi-centred collaboration project piloted among dental and oral health students at the University of Otago, New Zealand. IIUM Journal of Orofacial & Health Sciences, 7(1), 54-61. doi: 10.31436/ijohs.v7i1.443 Journal - Research Article

Olson, H. (2025, October). Collaborative innovation in dental education and research. Verbal presentation at the Pan-Pacific Leading Dental Schools Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Ghashi, B., Al Naasan, Z., & Olson, H. (2025, September). Dental professionals’ perspective of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) use in reducing out-patient hospitalisation and oral health inequity amongst New Zealand paediatric patients: A qualitative study. Verbal presentation at the Faculty of Dentistry Clinical and Research Excellence Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Anakin, M., Ronayne, C., & Olson, H. (2025, August). Intertwined, multi-directional, and interactive: Interprofessional competency development from the perspective of undergraduate students. Poster session presented at the International Association for Health Professions Education (AMEE) Annual Conference, Barcelona, Spain. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Ronayne, C., Olson, H., De Silva, H., Guan, G., Newsham-West, K., & Anakin, M. (2025). Intertwined, multidirectional and interactive: A qualitative study of students’ experiences of interprofessional competencies during an oral pathology module. Focus on Health Professional Education, 26(2), 46-62. Journal - Research Article

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