Otago global health expert wins international honour
Friday 14 October 2022
An Otago global health expert has been honoured with an international award for his tropical medicine research and mentoring of early career scientists.
Otago backing new Communicable Diseases Research Centre in Fiji
Monday 2 August 2021
The University of Otago’s Global Health Institute and Dunedin’s Mercy Hospital are supporting the establishment of a new Communicable Diseases Research Centre at Fiji National University.
Care urged before banning people entering NZ from the UK
Wednesday 13 January 2021
The Government should be careful about banning people entering New Zealand from specific countries based on the presence of variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, given most countries are not testing for variants, University of Otago experts say.
Online COVID-19 masterclass attracts thousands from around the world
Wednesday 8 July 2020
International conferences held entirely online may well be the future, if the just-completed University of Otago Global Health Institute’s (OGHI) online COVID-19 Masterclass is anything to go by.
COVID-19 questions to be answered in Otago University masterclass
Thursday 11 June 2020
If you’ve got questions about COVID-19, an upcoming fortnight-long masterclass, running from June 22 until July 3, should be on your radar.
Otago global health institute invests in research with Fiji and East Timor
Monday 13 January 2020
The Otago Global Health Institute, a flagship research centre of the University of Otago, is investing in new research initiatives in collaboration with the Fiji National University and the National University of East Timor to help address health problems in these countries.
Otago researchers partner in vaccine project to tackle major killer of African children
Friday 1 November 2019
A team of University of Otago researchers is part of a major new international vaccine research project to help tackle devastating Salmonella bloodstream infections which are killing thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa each year.
Otago Global Health Institute (OGHI) Seed Grants: 2020 Applications now open
Tuesday 24 September 2019
Applications for the OGHI 2020 Seed Grants are now open.
Seminar: Postcolonial Tanzania, the Dar School and Afro-Futurist Geopolitical Imaginations
Wednesday 18 September 2019
Seminar: Postcolonial Tanzania, the Dar School and Afro-Futurist Geopolitical Imaginations
Prof Joanne Sharp
University of St Andrews, UK
Date: Wednesday 25 September, 4PM
Venue: Richardson 5N4
ALL WELCOME!
RNZ interview with Dr Kaaren Mathias CIH Adjunct Research Fellow based in India
Monday 5 August 2019
RNZ interview with Dr Kaaren Mathias CIH Adjunct Research Fellow based in India. Dr Kaaren Mathias is medical doctor who's been living in India since 2006. She's working in community health and development as well as being involved in a number of other projects helping to improve both the physical and mental health of the people in communities in Uttarakhand.
Old vaccine brings new surprises
Friday 19 July 2019
New research about an old vaccine – one that has been in use for nearly 100 years – has not only shown how effective it is but also suggests it improves our immune response to a wider range of bacteria than originally intended.
Otago global health researchers to tackle tuberculosis in Indonesia
Wednesday 17 April 2019
Researchers from the Otago Global Health Institute have secured funding from the e-Asia Joint Research Programme and the Health Research Council of New Zealand to help improve the management of tuberculosis (TB) in Indonesia.
Otago bioethicist adds voice to global plea for moratorium on heritable genome editing
Thursday 14 March 2019
A University of Otago bioethicist has added his voice to a global plea for a moratorium on heritable genome editing from a group of international scientists and ethicists in the wake of the recent Chinese experiment aiming to produce HIV immune children.
University of Otago-led research published
Monday 11 March 2019
A supplement issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases entitled ‘Typhoid fever and the introduction of the typhoid conjugate vaccine in Africa and Asia’ has been published online.
New WHO housing and health guidelines could save millions each year
Monday 25 February 2019
Preventable injuries and hospitalisations due solely to poor housing conditions in New Zealand could be costing more than $145 million annually in ACC claims and hospitalisation costs, according to new research.
Special Topic: One Health distance-taught paper PUBH740 25 February - 12 April 2019
Monday 4 February 2019
Special Topic: One Health (distance taught) PUBH740 (25 February - 12 April 2019) offered through the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
High intake of dietary fibre and whole grain foods reduces risk of non-communicable diseases
Friday 11 January 2019
University of Otago researchers have found a link between higher intakes of dietary fibre and whole grain foods and a reduction in the risk of a wide range of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors.
The challenge of reducing health inequities and improving health outcomes in New Zealand
Monday 19 November 2018
The Healthier Lives – He Oranga Hauora National Science Challenge, hosted by the University of Otago, welcomes the announcement from the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Hon Megan Woods, confirming funding for its 2019-2024 research strategy
New study finds link between smell and obesity
Monday 19 November 2018
University of Otago researchers have broken new ground by identifying a link between smell and obesity. The findings will be published today in the international Obesity Reviews journal.
Proposal for National School of Rural Health remains firmly on the table
Friday 16 November 2018
The University of Otago remains committed to the collaborative proposal for a National Interprofessional School of Rural Health.
Otago scientists investigate monkey malaria threat as potential therapy
Wednesday 10 October 2018
A breakthrough in monkey malaria research by University of Otago scientists encouraged the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund a special meeting in Dunedin recently.
Department of Microbiology Seminar
Thursday 4 October 2018
Studying emerging diseases through genomics and stem cells: antibiotic resistant typhoid as an exemplar
Professor Gordon Dougan
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
12:00 Noon, Monday, 15th October
Room 208, 2nd floor
Microbiology Building
720 Cumberland St
High unmet need for dental care among Syrian refugees, Otago research shows
Monday 1 October 2018
High unmet need for dental care is causing pain, embarrassment, worry and reducing quality of life among Syrian refugees, new University of Otago research shows.
Otago discovery links DNA-packaging proteins and cancer development
Thursday 27 September 2018
University of Otago scientists have unravelled the 3D structure of two proteins, potentially providing answers as to why some people may be at risk of developing specific cancers.
Multi-ethnic approach to diabetes education needed – Otago academics
Wednesday 26 September 2018
Despite the plethora of information available about type-2 diabetes, the ability to understand it, and willingness to engage in it, differs among ethnic groups, Otago research has revealed.
Chaffer Fellow will share advanced microscopy techniques
Tuesday 25 September 2018
Chaffer Fellow, Dr Kelly Rogers, will deliver lectures on advanced microscopy techniques, a research seminar about her latest work, and a workshop on image analysis, to staff and students at the University of Otago.
New Zealand children’s medicine prescriptions examined for first time
Tuesday 25 September 2018
A study into the pharmaceutical use of 1.4 million New Zealand children has revealed some significant increases in the use of certain prescription medicines, as well as the positive impact of practitioner education.
Participants Needed for Research Study
Thursday 20 September 2018
Researchers in the Department of Medicine in Dunedin are conducting a trial on whole grains and health for people with type 2 diabetes.
Join the crew to track the flu!
Thursday 30 August 2018
The Ministry of Health is looking for volunteers to help track influenza. People who live in New Zealand who have easy access to email on a weekly basis are being invited to help .
Otago researchers call for more transparency around health funding formula
Friday 17 August 2018
University of Otago researchers are calling for more transparency and dialogue around the formula used to distribute funding between the country’s 20 district health boards, integral to the functioning of the New Zealand health system.
Otago appoints crime novelist Val McDermid to visiting professorship
Monday 6 August 2018
The University of Otago is delighted to announce the appointment of Scottish novelist Val McDermid as a Visiting Professor in the Division of Humanities.
Book Launch: Geographies of Development
Monday 6 August 2018
Book Launch - Geographies of Development
Otago professor honoured by top geography award
Thursday 2 August 2018
The head of the University of Otago’s Department of Geography who secured the New Zealand Geographical Society’s supreme award says it is a victory for a dynamic approach to research.
Otago researcher claims new study a step forward in fight to eliminate tuberculosis
Thursday 2 August 2018
The McAuley Professor of International Health at the University of Otago is labelling the findings of new international collaborative research a step forward in the fight to eliminate the world’s top infectious disease killer, tuberculosis.
Funding for Otago breast cancer research which aims to halt cancer spread
Wednesday 25 July 2018
A University of Otago researcher has been awarded $133,263 to investigate opportunities to halt the spread of cancer in women suffering breast cancer, thereby improving patient survival.
Regular teen drinking leads to problems with alcohol and drug use in adulthood
Wednesday 11 July 2018
Adolescents who drink weekly before age 17 are up to three times more likely as adults to binge drink, drink drive, be alcohol-dependent, and use other drugs than their non-drinking peers, new Australasian research shows.
Major fundamental changes required to achieve health equity
Monday 9 July 2018
In comparing efforts to address health inequities, researchers in Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ) and the United States (US) have found that both countries are failing to align policy with evidence-based approaches that could help achieve equity.
New drugs to treat top infectious disease killer a possibility with Otago discovery
Wednesday 4 July 2018
University of Otago researchers have discovered a novel property of a new anti-tuberculosis drug which may help develop more drugs to treat the top infectious disease killer in the world.
Otago scientists make breakthrough in childhood kidney cancer
Tuesday 3 July 2018
A world-first discovery by University of Otago scientists may change the way children suffering from a rare form of kidney cancer are treated.
Otago researchers’ discovery unlocks secrets behind cancer drug resistance
Friday 29 June 2018
University of Otago research provides insights into an underlying mechanism that could explain why new cancer therapies to help treat metastatic melanoma do not always work on patients, paving the way for predicting which patients will benefit from certain drugs.
Otago researchers help find answers to growing typhoid problem in the Pacific
Tuesday 26 June 2018
University of Otago researchers have been key partners in a study which has found poor sanitation facilities appear to be a major source of Salmonella Typhi, the cause of typhoid fever, in Fiji.
Smokefree 2025: An opportunity for big scores by the Government
Friday 22 June 2018
A group of tobacco control experts today published an open letter in the New Zealand Medical Journal calling for bold new actions from the New Zealand Government to achieve the Smokefree 2025 goal.
Otago researchers help unlock answers about leptospirosis in Africa
Monday 11 June 2018
University of Otago researchers are helping lead international studies which have discovered that exposure to cattle and rice farming are risk factors for the devastating disease leptospirosis in northern Tanzania.
Dentistry Dean appointed to lead Division of Health Sciences
Wednesday 6 June 2018
Dean of the University of Otago’s Faculty of Dentistry, Professor Paul Brunton, has been appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Division of Health Sciences.
New Zealand leads call to improve health for indigenous people globally
Friday 1 June 2018
An open letter published today in a leading international medical journal, Lancet Oncology, calls on the World Health Organization (WHO) and Governments to prioritise health improvements for Indigenous peoples worldwide.
University signs MOU to continue successful volunteer scheme
Friday 25 May 2018
An initiative that has enabled more than 100 mostly geography students from Otago University to carry out voluntary work abroad since 2006 has been given a new lease on life, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne in Wellington this week.
Otago researcher’s dream of eliminating Tuberculosis among Māori gains HRC support
Monday 21 May 2018
The goal of eliminating the top infectious disease killer in the world, tuberculosis, among Māori has earned University of Otago researcher Professor Philip Hill $250,000 from the Health Research Council to undertake a feasibility study.
Obesity a tough topic for GPs, Otago research reveals
Friday 18 May 2018
New University of Otago research highlights the difficulties for GPs of discussing obesity with patients who are overweight and signals the need for resources to support them and other community health providers in this role.
HRC funding enables Otago researcher to investigate early detection test for bowel cancer
Thursday 17 May 2018
A researcher aiming to develop an early-detection genetic-based test for bowel cancer is one of several University of Otago researchers who have been awarded almost $1.5 million in Health Research Council funding.
Gaps in patient care pathway may perpetuate high rates of sexually transmitted infections
Wednesday 9 May 2018
There are gaps between best practice and documented management of patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections in primary care, which may contribute to high rates of infection, new University of Otago research shows.
Otago scientist involved in new tool to classify severity of Salmonella
Wednesday 9 May 2018
A University of Otago expert is part of an international collaboration that has created a new machine learning tool that can detect whether emerging strains of the bacterium Salmonella are more likely to cause life-threatening bloodstream infections rather than only food poisoning.
Child poverty casts long shadow on oral health care: Otago dental expert
Monday 7 May 2018
Child poverty and its detrimental impact on dental health care casts a long shadow and affects oral health into adulthood, University of Otago Associate Professor in the Faculty of Dentistry, Jonathan Broadbent says.
International agreement provides Otago opportunity to help shape global cancer agenda
Friday 20 April 2018
In a New Zealand first, the University of Otago has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
"Now I can join others at the temple" Seminar
Wednesday 18 April 2018
"Now I can join others at the temple" - a mixed methods realist evaluation of a programme to increase social inclusion for young people with psycho-social disability in North India
Dr Kaaren Mathias
Friday 20th April, 12noon
Department of Preventive & Social Medicine
Room 033/036, Ground Floor, Adams Building, 18 Frederick Street
Taxing sugary drinks a no-brainer for New Zealand
Wednesday 4 April 2018
On 1 April 2018, the United Kingdom introduced a sugary drinks tax, an important public health measure that University of Otago, Wellington, public health researchers believe should be happening in New Zealand too.
More commitment by local government needed to achieve Smokefree 2025
Thursday 29 March 2018
There needs to be more commitment by local government to help achieve central government’s Smokefree 2025 goal, new University of Otago research shows.
Yoghurt may reduce eczema and allergy in infancy
Wednesday 28 March 2018
Yoghurt given to infants in the first year of life may protect them from developing eczema and allergy, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington, and the University of Auckland have found.
Importance of physical activity in preschoolers highlighted by Otago researcher
Wednesday 28 March 2018
The journey to obesity can start as young as age one so increased physical activity should be established and encouraged early, University of Otago researchers say.
More sustainable transport for better health in New Zealand cities
Friday 23 March 2018
Can your local council stop you getting heart disease or cancer? Yes, say researchers in a new study led by the University of Otago, Wellington.
Research suggests promoting smokefree homes may help reduce teen smoking
Thursday 22 March 2018
New Zealand children and teens growing up in smokefree homes are less likely to take up smoking, even if their parents are smokers, a University of Otago, Wellington, study has found.
Seminar: Elements of Successful Innovation
Tuesday 13 March 2018
Dr Arun Shanbhag, Chief Innovation Officer at Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT)
Dhruv Suri, Aeronautical Engineering student, MIT
Akondi Saisri, Biomedical Engineering student, MIT
Thursday 22 March, 09.30-10.30am
Room 2.19, Level 2, Otago School of Business, 60 Clyde Street
Dr Arun Shanbhag is the Chief Innovation Officer at Manipal Institute of Technology in India. He has been an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School for 19 years before moving to Manipal Institute of Technology last year.
Against a backdrop of high poverty, unemployment and inequity in India, Dr Shanbhag is inspiring students at Manipal Institute of Technology to explore innovative projects to improve the quality of life of society around them. Using a simple, generalized design-thinking framework that students can follow, and solve local problems, he encourages students from all disciplines to form interdisciplinary teams and create innovative products.
Two of his students - Dhruv Suri and Akondi Saisri - recently won the inaugural NZ-India Sustainability Challenge and will present their work on an app for infant immunisation in India.Seminar: TANDEM: understanding diabetes and tuberculosis
Tuesday 13 March 2018
Prof Reinout van Creuvel
Tuesday 13th March, 12noon Room 033/036, Ground Floor, Adams Building, 18 Frederick Street
Seminar: Typhoid - the impact on New Zealand and the Pacific
Monday 12 March 2018
Prof John Crump, McKinlay Professor of Global Health and Co-Director, Otago Global Health Institute, University of Otago
14 March 2018, 1pm
The Liggins Theatre, Level 1, Building 16, Greenlane Clinical Centre AUCKLAND
HOSTED BY AUCKLAND REGIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
Seminar: The Cassava Virus Action Project
Monday 12 March 2018
The Cassava Virus Project: Senior Research Fellow and Senior TED Fellow Dr. Laura Boykin
Seminar: A biocultural investigation of 19th century life in Otago, New Zealand
Monday 12 March 2018
(co-authored with Dr Peter Petchey)
Professor Hallie Buckley
Department of Anatomy, University of Otago
Wednesday 14 March 2018, 3:30pm-4:30pm
Burns 5, Burns (Arts) Building, Albany Street, Dunedin
POSTPONED - Bioethics Seminar: The emergence of public health ethics
Monday 12 March 2018
James C. Thomas, PhD, University of North Carolina
POSTPONED - NEW DATE/TIME TO BE ADVISED
Ethics are often about imbalances of power. In public health, the power imbalances are principally between a population and its government, rather than between a patient and a clinician. But only recently has public health ethics distinguished itself from medical ethics. The emergence of public health ethics has been driven in part by global phenomena, such as the threat of pandemics. Dr Thomas will describe this emergence and its expression in different cultures.
Jim Thomas is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the MEASURE Evaluation project at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Otago researchers part of $18M project to reveal causes of fever in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia
Friday 9 March 2018
Otago researchers are helping lead a major international project to determine what the main causes of fever in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are and how they should be treated.
Study of smoking among doctors and nurses shows very low smoking prevalence and Smokefree 2025 goal can be achieved
Friday 9 March 2018
A new study on smoking trends among doctors and nurses in New Zealand finds smoking has declined steadily within these healthcare professions. Researchers say this shows that very low smoking rates can be achieved in large occupational groups, suggesting that New Zealand’s Smokefree 2025 goal is reachable.
Trade treaty threatens health if climate change not addressed: University of Otago expert
Friday 9 March 2018
A University of Otago health expert is calling for an independent assessment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact’s potential impacts on climate change and health.
Otago reveals concerning prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Southern New Zealand women
Monday 22 January 2018
New Zealand women and their babies are at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency and current health guidelines fall short of curbing this detrimental trend, new University of Otago research shows.
Talking about diabetes – improving health, one sentence at a time
Wednesday 17 January 2018
Primary care physicians can improve their communication to newly-diagnosed diabetes patients by offering more information specific to the patient’s experience, new research from Otago, Auckland and Victoria universities shows.
Predator Free 2050 has major benefits for human health
Monday 15 January 2018
The Predator Free 2050 campaign to rid New Zealand of rats and possums will have major benefits for human health as well as for native plants and animals, says University of Otago, Wellington public health researcher Dr Mary McIntyre.
Otago breakthrough in diabetic heart disease
Friday 5 January 2018
The molecule responsible for heart disease in diabetics has been identified by University of Otago researchers, greatly improving chances of survival.
Chronic lung disease treatment in New Zealand often not consistent with international guidelines
Tuesday 19 December 2017
University of Otago researchers have found that the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in New Zealand frequently does not conform to international guidelines.
Giving cash without strings attached can improve health
Thursday 23 November 2017
New research has shown governments can help improve health in low and middle income countries, simply by providing cash to people living in poverty.
Elimination of mosquito-borne diseases in the Pacific possible with collaboration
Thursday 16 November 2017
The importance of working together to prevent mosquito-borne diseases will be highlighted during an upcoming University of Otago-organised event.
Climate change and extreme weather driving migration
Wednesday 11 October 2017
For the first time, a University of Otago researcher has shown that not only are the effects of climate change influencing people’s decision to migrate, it is actually a more important driver than income and political freedom at the origin country.
Otago finding new ways to beat an old and enduring enemy - TB
Monday 31 July 2017
An innovative approach in drug discovery in combating one of the world’s greatest health scourges – tuberculosis (TB) – is being pioneered by an international research group that has Otago microbiologists as key leading members.
Pneumonia vaccine found to have major impact
Thursday 8 June 2017
A leading international health researcher at the University of Otago is part of a team that has gained new insights into how much children in Africa can benefit from a vaccine against pneumonia.
New Centre recognises Otago’s excellence in global-health research
Monday 10 April 2017
The University of Otago has recently named the Otago Global Health Institute (OGHI) as one of its 12 flagship research centres.
Otago’s flagship research centres confirmed
Wednesday 15 March 2017
The University of Otago has reconfigured the line-up of its flagship research centres after a rigorous evaluation process.
University of Otago receives grant to support severe typhoid research in Tanzania
Monday 28 November 2016
The University of Otago received a three-year NZD $439,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for Professor John Crump and collaborators at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre and Duke University to study severe typhoid fever in northern Tanzania.
World authority on rabies to deliver public lecture
Tuesday 1 November 2016
Professor Sarah Cleaveland, an international expert on rabies, will discuss prospects for the global elimination of the disease during the 2016 McKinlay Oration that bridges the ninth Otago Global Health Institute conference and the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases New Zealand annual scientific meeting.
New map of world vegetation reveals substantial changes since 1980s
Monday 15 August 2016
A University of Otago botany researcher and colleagues have developed a new system to map the world’s “biomes”— large-scale vegetation formations — that will provide an objective method for monitoring how vegetation reacts as climate changes.
NZ contributes to global report on Indigenous and tribal peoples
Thursday 21 April 2016
A world-first study into the health and wellbeing of more than 154 million Indigenous and tribal peoples globally was launched today simultaneously in Melbourne and London, by Australia’s Lowitja Institute and the Lancet journal.
Three universities unite for Pacific research
Wednesday 23 March 2016
Research into the challenges and opportunities facing the Pacific Islands and their communities will flourish thanks to the uniting of resources and expertise of three New Zealand universities.
Vaccine cuts rate of major disease in African children in half
Monday 7 March 2016
A vaccine against pneumococcal disease, which is a major killer of children in Africa, has cut the disease rate by more than half, new research has found.
Promising advances in prevention of rheumatic fever
Tuesday 9 February 2016
Leading health researchers and practitioners are meeting today to work towards preventing and controlling rheumatic fever across New Zealand and Australia. The experts are gathering at a one-day seminar at the 20th Public Health Summer School run by the University of Otago, Wellington.
