Leadership group
Our leadership group consists of senior researchers across the University of Otago's Divisions of Commerce, Health Sciences, Humanities, and Sciences.
Professor John Crump, Director
Professor of Medicine, Pathology, and Global Health, Centre for International Health 
Professor Crump's expertise is in infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries, and ethics in global health.
Associate Professor Htin Lin Aung, Co-Deputy Director
Department of Microbiology and Immunology 
Associate Professor Htin Lin Aung is a Royal Society of New Zealand Rutherford Discovery Fellow. The overarching theme of Aung’s research is antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and health inequities. Using tuberculosis (TB) as an exemplar, Aung’s research combines genomics, molecular biology, clinical microbiology, molecular epidemiology, health economics and social science.
Dr Lena Tan, Co-Deputy Director
Politics Programme
Dr Tan is senior lecturer in International Relations and her research interests include identity, IR theory, constructivism, postcolonialism, the construction and constitution of the Global South in IR/ir, twentieth century decolonization, and Indonesian security and foreign policy.
Professor Phil Bremer
Department of Food Science
Phil is a Professor in the Department of Food Science at the University of Otago. He applies a multi-disciplinary approach involving microbiology, product development, flavour and sensory science and, increasingly, social science to determine how the way a food is produced and promoted impacts on its suitability, acceptability and value in the market place.
Dr Nick Douglas
Department of Medicine, Christchurch
Dr Nick Douglas is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine, Christchurch, an Infectious Diseases Physician at Christchurch Hospital, and a Senior Research Fellow in the Division of Global and Tropical Health at Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, Australia. His current research focuses primarily on malaria, particularly antirelapse therapy for Plasmodium vivax infection and leprosy.
Associate Professor Christina Ergler
School of Geography
Associate Professor Christina Ergler is a geographer driven by a passion for creating just, sustainable and inclusive environments that enhance the quality of life of humans and non-humans.
Dr Elizabeth Fenton
Bioethics Centre 
Elizabeth is a lecturer in the Bioethics Centre with a background in philosophy and public health. Her research focuses on ethical issues in public health, global health, and health policy.
Associate Professor Jeff Foote
Department of Management 
Jeff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management. He is an applied researcher with expertise in using systems thinking to address ‘wicked problems’. Jeff is skilled in designing and facilitating multi-stakeholder fora where stakeholders create shared understanding and commitment to action. He has a proven track record in undertaking impactful research and evaluation projects for central and local government, non-government organisations, business and hāpu. Jeff is an active member of the University of Otago’s Te Maea: Māori and Indigenous Economy and Enterprise Network.
Associate Professor Lesley Gray
Department of Primary Health Care, Wellington 
Lesley’s research interests focus on diversity, health equity and interprofessional disaster risk reduction, with a pragmatic goal to deliver meaningful change.
Professor Philip Hill
McAuley Professor of International Health,
Centre for International Health
Professor Hill's fields of expertise include infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries.
Professor Stephen Knowles
Department of Economics
Stephen's research interests include the economics of altruism, with a specific focus on what motivates people to donate to international development charities.
Professor Katrina Sharples
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Katrina is a biostatistician with broad interests in statistical methods for clinical and epidemiological research, and particular expertise in clinical trials. She is the lead statistician for Cancer Trials New Zealand, the Centre for International Health and the Pharmacoepidemiology Research Network, and is also a member of the Centre for Translational Research in Cancer.
Professor Patrick Vakaoti
Te Tumu School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies
Professor Vakaoti is interested in issues experienced by Pacific children and young people. He offers advice on Pacific engagement and relationships.
Associate Professor Esther Willing
Kōhatu Centre for Hauora Māori
Dr Esther Willing (Ngāti Toarangatira, Ngāti Koata, Ngā Ruahine) is an Associate Professor in Hauora Māori and the Director of Kōhatu Centre for Hauora Māori. Her research interests include health policy and health systems research and she is passionate about improving Māori health outcomes and addressing health inequities in Aotearoa. She currently is involved in research on immunisation uptake and coverage for hapu māmā and tamariki, and guidelines for prioritising intensive care resources to support equity and discourse and framing of Māori health.
University of Otago members
In addition to our leadership team the Otago Global Health Institute has a large number of network members. These researchers have a diversity of technical expertise which enables our institute to draw upon a large pool of research fields.
Surnames A–C
- Dr Neha Agarwal Department of Economics
- Dr Dominic Agyei Department of Food Science
- Dr Charlotte Aitken Department of Public Health (Christchurch)
- Professor Siautu Alefaio Department of Psychology
- Laurie (Law) Avia Pacific Development Office
- Professor Michael Baker Department of Public Health
- Professor Angela Ballantyne Bioethics Centre
- Dr Rabab Batool Centre for International Health
- Associate Professor Vincent Bennani Department of Oral Rehabilitation
- Emeritus Professor Judy Bennett School of Arts
- Emeritus Professor Anthony Binns School of Geography
- Professor Jonathan Broadbent Department of Oral Rehabilitation
- Emeritus Professor Barbara Brookes School of Arts
- Professor Hallie Buckley Department of Anatomy
- Associate Professor David Buritt Department of Botany
- Professor Anitra Carr Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science
- Professor Steve Chambers Department of Pathology
- Dr Angela Clark Sir John Walsh Research Institute
- Associate Professor Cristina Cleghorn Department of Public Health
- Professor Gerry Closs Department of Zoology
- Professor Greg Cook Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Associate Professor Kirsten Coppell Department of Medicine
- Dr Shaun Counsell Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice
- Associate Professor Brian Cox Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
- Professor Peter Crampton Dunedin School of Medicine
Surnames D–G
- Emeritus Professor Brian Darlow Paediatrics
- Professor Shyamal Das Drug formulation and delivery
- Associate Professor Tilman Davies Department of Mathematics and Statistics
- Ms Louise Delany Department of Public Health
- Dr Jen Desrosiers Department of Population Health
- Professor John Dockerty Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
- Professor Tony Dowell Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Dr Mavis Duncanson Department of Women's and Children's Health, NZ Child and Youth Epidemiology Service
- Professor Richard Edwards Department of Public Health
- Associate Professor Richard Egan Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
- Professor Ruth Fitzgerald Department of Social Anthropology
- Dr Stephen Fleming Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Professor Russell Frew Department of Chemistry
- Honorary Professor Robin Gauld Otago Business School
- Associate Professor Murat Genç Department of Economics
- Professor Emerita Rosalind Gibson Department of Human Nutrition
- Emeritus Professor Frank Griffin Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Surnames H–L
- Ms Jacqui Hadingham ASPIRE
- Dr Nienke Hagedoorn Centre for International Health
- Professor Siân Halcrow Department of Anatomy
- Professor Simon Hales Department of Public Health
- Emeritus Professor Paul Hansen Health economics
- Honorary Professor John Harraway Department of Mathematics and Statistics
- Dr Sarah Harris Department of Paediatrics
- Health Promotion and Policy Research Unit (HePPRU) University of Otago Wellington
- Dr Austin Henderson Department of Economics
- Dr Donna Hendry PBRF and Publications Office
- Dr Emma Heydon Paediatrics and Child Health
- Associate Professor Susan Heydon School of Pharmacy
- Professor Merilyn Hibma Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Associate Professor Doug Hill Department of Geography
- Dr Pauline Horrill Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice
- Emeritus Professor Lisa Houghton Department of Human Nutrition
- Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman Department of Public Health
- Dr Noelyn Hung Department of Pathology
- Professor Haizal Hussaini Department of Oral Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences
- Noormarina Indraswari Centre for International Health
- Leina Isno Centre for International Health
- Dr Susan Jack Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
- Dr Samyukta Bista Karki Department of Medicine (Ophthalmology)
- Professor Roslyn (Ros) Kemp Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Tofilau Nina Kirifi-Alai External Engagement Divisional Office
- Associate Professor Michael Knapp Department of Anatomy
- Professor Kurt Krause Department of Biochemistry
- Honorary Associate Professor Jonathan Leichter Department of Oral Sciences
- Nicola Liebergreen Women's and Children's Health
- Professor Mark Lokman Department of Zoology
- Professor Maebh Long Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies
Surnames M–O
- Professor Jim Mann Dunedin School of Medicine
- Dr Kiki Maoate Department of Paediatrics
- Dr Christian Marchello Centre for International Health
- Professor Lisa Matisoo-Smith Department of Anatomy
- Associate Professor Michael Maze Department of Medicine (Christchurch)
- Dr Sue McAllister Centre for International Health
- Professor Arlene McDowell School of Pharmacy
- Professor John McMillan Bioethics Centre
- Emeritus Professor Andrew Mercer Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Honorary Professor Tony Merriman Department of Biochemistry
- Professor Richard Morgan School of Geography
- Associate Professor Wayne Morriss Department of Surgery and Critical Care
- Dr Hilda Mulligan School of Physiotherapy
- Professor David Murdoch Infectious diseases
- Dr Shruti Murthy Centre for International Health
- Dr Shyamala Nada-Raja Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
- Professor Etienne Nel School of Geography
- Emeritus Professor Helen Nicholson Department of Anatomy
- Professor Jing-Bao Nie Bioethics Centre
- Professor Pauline Norris Social Pharmacy
- Ms Glenda Oben Department of Women's and Children's Health, NZ Child and Youth Epidemiology Service
- Professor Indrawati Oey Department of Food Science
- Dr Win Thandar Oo Centre for International Health
- Dr Toyin Oladimeji, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
- Dr Helen Opel-Reading Department of Biochemistry
- Professor Dorian Owen Department of Economics
Surnames P–S
- Dr Sherly Parackal Centre for International Health
- Associate Professor Matthew Parry Department of Mathematics and Statistics
- Emerita Professor Charlotte Paul Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
- Dr Erin Penno Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
- Professor David Prior Department of Geology
- Professor Miguel Quinones-Mateu Microbiology and Immunology
- Dr Charles Radclyffe Anthropology and Archaeology
- Dr Gregory Rawlings Anthropology and Archaeology
- Emeritus Professor Alison Rich Pathology / Oral Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences
- Professor Elaine Reese Department of Psychology
- Dr Antoinette Righarts Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
- Professor Kirsten Robertson Department of Marketing
- Dr Ruth Savage New Zealand Pharmacovigilance Centre
- Associate Professor Matthew Schofield Department of Mathematics and Statistics
- Dr Pippa Scott The Infection Group
- Associate Professor Benedict Seo Department of Oral Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences
- Professor Louise Signal Department of Public Health
- Professor Sheila Skeaff Department of Human Nutrition
- Emeritus Professor Sir David Skegg Dunedin School of Medicine
- Dr Margot Skinner School of Physiotherapy
- Dr Sandy Slow The Infection Group
- Dr Moira Smith Health Promotion and Policy Research Unit (HePPRU)
- Associate Professor Trenton Smith Department of Economics
- Faumuina Professor Fa'afetai (Tai) Sopoaga CNZM Pacific Health
- Dr Stephen Sowerby Bioengineering
- Associate Professor Jo-Ann Stanton Department of Anatomy
- Professor Tim Stokes Department of General Practice and Rural Health
- Associate Professor Trudy Sullivan Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
- Professor Glenn Summerhayes Archaeology
Surnames T-Z
- Emeritus Professor Michael Tatley New Zealand Pharmacovigilance Centre
- Associate Professor Mele Taumoepeau Department of Psychology
- Professor Barry Taylor Dunedin School of Medicine
- Professor Nicola Taylor School of Social Sciences
- Professor Jean-Claude Theis Department of Surgical Sciences
- Dr Kate M. Thomas Centre for International Health
- Associate Professor George Thomson Department of Public Health
- Emeritus Professor Christine Thomson Department of Human Nutrition
- Emeritus Professor Murray Thomson Department of Oral Sciences
- Associate Professor June Tordoff School of Pharmacy
- Dr Monica Tromp Department of Anatomy
- Dr Murat Ungor Department of Economics
- Professor James Ussher Department of Microbiology and Immunology
- Dr Bernard Venn Department of Human Nutrition
- Ms Noeleen Venter Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
- Dr Ayesha Verrall Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine
- Melandri Vlok Department of Anatomy
- Professor Tony Walls Department of Paediatrics (Christchurch)
- Professor Sara Walton Department of Management
- Aimee Ward Dunedin School of Medicine
- Associate Professor Dennis Wesselbaum Department of Economics
- Professor Peter Whigham Information Science
- Professor Nick Wilson Department of Public Health
- Associate Professor John Woodfield Department of Surgery and Critical Care Medicine
External members
- Professor Richard Adegbola Nigerian Institute of Medical Research
- Annie Arnzen independent consultant
- Dr Gagan Gurung Health New Zealand
- Dr Sheena Dias-Viegas World Health Organisation Timor-Leste Country Office
- Dr Hazel Dobinson Capital and Coast District Health Board
- Professor Gavin George University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Associate Professor Stephen Howie University of Auckland
- Associate Professor Bob Huish Dalhousie University
- Dr Nikita Jain Tuberculosis Fellow, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Australia
- Dr Kaaren Mathias Canterbury District Health Board
- Professor Mark McGillivray Deakin University
- Dr Merita Monteiro Department of Communicable Diseases, Timor-Leste Ministry of Health
- Professor Kim Mulholland University of Melbourne
- Associate Professor Chris Paton Liggins Institute
- Dr Viliami Puloka Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand
- Dr Collin Tukuitonga University of Auckland
- The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ