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Contact Details

Phone
64 22 673 1278
Email
aimee.ward@otago.ac.nz
Position
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department
Department of Medicine (Dunedin)
Qualifications
BSc(USA) MPH(USA) PhD(Otago)
Research summary
Public health researcher using mixed methods to address various topics among children and teens
Memberships
  • Member, NZ Public Health Association

Research

I am an experienced public health researcher, with expertise in multiple methodologies including both quantitative (e.g. survey design and analysis), and qualitative (e.g. focus groups and “photovoice”) approaches. Since completing my Masters in International Health in 2008 I have been employed as a researcher in Taiwan and France, before coming to New Zealand. The opportunity to work with several groups on a wide range of topics in various countries has provided me with diverse experiences. For example, I've advised on research methods for colleagues working with traditional birth attendants (Taiwan/Malawi), created online collaboration techniques among cancer epidemiologists (France), obtained competitive funding to co-author a book chapter on reproductive health in women (France/Canada), and facilitated collaboration between universities in different countries (USA/Taiwan).

When we arrived in NZ in 2010 I began working as an Assistant Research Fellow for the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, and since that time I've had the opportunity to collaborate with several research groups including Professor Hank Weiss (Injury Prevention Research Unit), Associate Professor Debra Waters (Departmentt of Medicine, Collaboration of Ageing Research Exellence), Professor Leigh Hale (School of Physiotherapy), Professor Haxby Abbott (Department of Surgical Sciences, Centre for Musculoskeletal Outcomes Research), and the renowned Dunedin study, providing research support by gathering data, reviewing literature, and drafting manuscripts. I also spent seven years as a tutor in the Early Learning in Medicine (ELM) programme. Throughout these experiences, I have learned the value and importance of collaborating across departments and disciplines. In 2014 I began my PhD research, which involved supervisors in both the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine and the Department of Geography, investigating transport and well-being among older adolescents. I completed my thesis in August 2017, and I graduate 12 May 2018.

My current position is as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Medicine, supervised by Professor Rachael Taylor and working with the Edgar Diabetes and Research (EDOR) team, investigating sleep and obesity among children. This is a new and exciting topic of research for me, which will enhance my expertise in working with children and families.

Publications

Ward, A. L., Wyeth, E. H., McGee, R., Freeman, C., & Cameron, C. (2018). Found in (survey) translation: Lessons learned while engaging with a wharekura in Southland, New Zealand. Kōtuitui, 13(1), 70-81. doi: 10.1080/1177083X.2017.1421978

Ward, A. L., Gendall, P., McGee, R., Freeman, C., & Cameron, C. (2016). Testing the waters on the South Island: Insights from a pilot study. New Zealand Sociology, 31(7), 240-245.

Ward, A. L., Baggett, T., Orsini, A., Angelo, J., & Weiss, H. (2016). Participatory photography gives voice to young non-drivers in New Zealand. Health Promotion International, 31, 280-289. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dau109

Diab, A. S., Hale, L. A., Skinner, M. A., Hammond-Tooke, G., Ward, A. L., & Waters, D. L. (2016). Body composition and postural instability in people with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Journal of Aging Research & Clinical Practice, 5(1), 14-19. doi: 10.14283/jarcp.2016.86

Potiki Bryant, K., Hale, L., Tikao, K., Milosavljevic, S., Wright-Tawha, T., Ward, A. L., & Mirfin-Veitch, B. F. (2016). Art as a tool for disseminating research outcomes: The Hauā Mana Māori Project and Participatory Action Research in New Zealand. Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation. Retrieved from https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/journalofhumanitiesinrehabilitation

Ward, A. L., Wyeth, E. H., McGee, R., Freeman, C., & Cameron, C. (2018). Found in (survey) translation: Lessons learned while engaging with a wharekura in Southland, New Zealand. Kōtuitui, 13(1), 70-81. doi: 10.1080/1177083X.2017.1421978

Journal - Research Article

Ward, A. L., Gendall, P., McGee, R., Freeman, C., & Cameron, C. (2016). Testing the waters on the South Island: Insights from a pilot study. New Zealand Sociology, 31(7), 240-245.

Journal - Research Article

Ward, A. L., Baggett, T., Orsini, A., Angelo, J., & Weiss, H. (2016). Participatory photography gives voice to young non-drivers in New Zealand. Health Promotion International, 31, 280-289. doi: 10.1093/heapro/dau109

Journal - Research Article

Diab, A. S., Hale, L. A., Skinner, M. A., Hammond-Tooke, G., Ward, A. L., & Waters, D. L. (2016). Body composition and postural instability in people with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Journal of Aging Research & Clinical Practice, 5(1), 14-19. doi: 10.14283/jarcp.2016.86

Journal - Research Article

Potiki Bryant, K., Hale, L., Tikao, K., Milosavljevic, S., Wright-Tawha, T., Ward, A. L., & Mirfin-Veitch, B. F. (2016). Art as a tool for disseminating research outcomes: The Hauā Mana Māori Project and Participatory Action Research in New Zealand. Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation. Retrieved from https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/journalofhumanitiesinrehabilitation

Journal - Research Article

Ward, A. L., Freeman, C., & McGee, R. (2015). The influence of transport on well-being among teenagers: A photovoice project in New Zealand. Journal of Transport & Health, 2(3), 414-422. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2015.06.004

Journal - Research Article

Ward, A. L., & Sasco, A. (2015). Plastics recycling and women's reproductive health. In D. N. Scott (Ed.), Our chemical selves: Gender, toxics, and environmental health. (pp. 253-290). Vancouver, Canada: UBC Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Waters, D. L., Ward, A. L., & Villareal, D. T. (2013). Weight loss in obese adults 65 years and older: A review of the controversy. Experimental Gerontology, 48(10), 1054-1061. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2013.02.005

Journal - Research Article

Weiss, H., & Ward, A. (2013). Is it time to advocate for a vulnerable road user protection law in New Zealand? New Zealand Medical Journal, 126(1374). Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Journal - Research Other

Meier, M. H., Caspi, A., Ambler, A., Harrington, H., Houts, R., Keefe, R. S. E., McDonald, K., Ward, A., Poulton, R., & Moffitt, T. E. (2012). Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlife. PNAS, 109(40), E2657-E2664. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1206820109

Journal - Research Article

Ward, A., & Weiss, H. (2011). Mobility management for prevented, reduced, or delayed driving in teenagers (Protocol). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 11, CD009438. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009438

Journal - Research Other

Chen, S. C.-C., Wang, J.-D., Ward, A. L., Chan, C.-C., Chen, P.-C., Chiang, H.-C., … Yu, J. K.-L. (2011). The effectiveness of continuing training for traditional birth attendants on their reproductive health-care knowledge and performance. Midwifery, 27(5), 648-653. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2009.12.008

Journal - Research Article

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