The Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch) has a strong track record in clinically-driven and translational research, collaborating with national and international partners to address contemporary challenges in general surgery.
Our research focuses on understanding disease mechanisms, improving patient outcomes, and applying new technologies to surgical care.
Key research themes
Below is a snapshot of our current research themes and major projects.
Artificial Intelligence in Surgery
AI and computer vision have transformative potential in surgery, from intraoperative decision support to prognostic modelling. Our work focuses on applying AI to image analysis, risk prediction, and surgical training. We have national trans-disciplinary collaborations with industry, software engineering, pathology and image analysis specialists.
Major research activities include:
- Computer vision for laparoscopic surgery: Automating recognition and reporting of operative events.
- AI prediction of lymph node metastases in CRC: Integrating pathology images with clinicopathological data.
- AI pancreas project: Predictive modelling for pancreatic cancer diagnosis and prognosis.
Primary contact:
Professor Tim Eglinton
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Colorectal Cancer (CRC)
Colorectal cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in New Zealand. Our research aims to understand its molecular pathogenesis, improve early detection (especially in young-onset CRC), optimise treatment pathways including organ preservation, and identify biomarkers and microbiome interactions that may predict outcomes or response to therapy.
Major research activities include:
- Molecular subtyping and microbiome: Projects investigating the gut microbiome’s role in serrated pathways and young-onset CRC.
- Predict dataset: Longitudinal dataset linking molecular subtypes with clinical outcomes.
- Circulating bacterial DNA: Exploring novel biomarkers for metastasis and prognosis.
- Organ preservation in rectal cancer (OPREC): Evaluating non-operative management strategies following chemoradiotherapy.
- Pelvic exenteration outcomes
- TaTME: Studying oncological and functional outcomes after transanal TME.
- K9 CRC detection: Innovative research into canine scent detection for CRC screening.
Primary contacts:
Professor Frank Frizelle
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Dr Rachel Purcell
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Diverticular Disease
Despite its prevalence, the natural history of diverticulitis, risk of recurrence, and the role of the gut microbiome remain poorly understood. Our research explores predictors of complications, recurrence, and potential microbiome interventions.
Major research activities include:
- Longitudinal diverticulitis cohort: Identifying factors predicting recurrence and outcomes.
- Microbiome studies: Investigating bacterial influences on diverticulitis risk.
- Pharmacoepidemiology: Assessing the impact of statins and other medications on diverticular disease.
Primary contact:
Dr Greg Turner
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
The pathogenesis, progression, and surgical management of IBD continue to pose challenges. Our research focuses on genetic and microbiome factors, dysplasia risk, surgical outcomes, and quality-of-life impacts.
Major research activities include:
- Dysplasia in IBD: Long-term studies of incidence and molecular diagnosis.
- Quality of life and disability: Validating disability indices and understanding patient priorities.
- Appendicectomy and IBD: Assessing whether appendicectomy affects IBD risk and gut microbiome.
Primary contact:
Dr Tamara Glyn
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Other general surgery research
Our department also undertakes a wide range of general surgery research, including quality-of-life outcomes, perioperative care, novel surgical techniques, and broader health system questions.
Major research activities include:
- 10Ten QoL study: Multinational collaboration assessing quality of life after surgery for recurrent pelvic cancer.
- Frailty and recovery: Exploring frailty assessment tools and metabolic predictors of recovery.
- OPERAS: Multicentre audit of opioid prescribing post-surgery.
- CABE trial: Multicentre RCT on bacterial eradication at anastomosis.
- STITCH-UP RCT: Evaluating wound closure techniques in emergency laparotomy.
Primary contacts:
Dr Simon Richards
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Dr Andrew McCombie
Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Christchurch)
Contact
For more information on our research or opportunities to collaborate, please contact:
Academic Administrator
Email surgery.uoc@otago.ac.nz