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Contact Details

Email
rose.richards@otago.ac.nz
Position
Director, Pacific Development (Acting), University of Otago, Deputy Director of the Va’a o Tautai in the Division of Health Sciences, Co-Deputy Director of the Coastal Peoples Southern Skies Centre for Research Excellence
Qualifications
BSc PGDipSci MSc PhD
Research summary
Pacific health, sleep and wellbeing

Research

Professor Richards is Director, Pacific Development (Acting) at the University of Otago. She is also Deputy Director of the Va’a o Tautai in the Division of Health Sciences and is Co-Deputy Director of the Coastal Peoples: Southern Skies Centre for Research Excellence. Coastal People: Southern Skies aims to connects communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to rebuild coastal ecosystems.

Coastal People: Southern Skies

Professor Richards is also co-Principal Investigator on a Better Start National Science Challenge Project (Moemoea) exploring sleep intervention development and collaborates on work related to Pacific education, access to medicines and health service delivery.

"It is an exciting time to be involved in Pacific Health Research, with a steadily building population of talented and committed Pacific Researchers, a growing collection of models and methodologies that allow Pacific experiences to be accurately and respectfully captured and a multitude of community strengths on which to base interventions to improve health and wellbeing."

Rosalina's background is in behavioural psychology and public health. As former Director of the Centre for Pacific Health and Co-Director of the Cancer Society and Behavioural Research Unit she has published across a variety of areas, including physical activity, nutrition, tobacco control and supportive cancer care. She is currently convenor for the Division of Health Sciences Pacific Health Curriculum across the Physiotherapy, Pharmacy and Dental schools and contributes to teaching of the Pacific and Global Health major of the Bachelor of Health Sciences.

Publications

Fangupo, L. J., Haszard, J. J., Russell-Camp, T., Taylor, R. W., Richards, R., Galland, B. C., & Camp, J. (2024). The measurement of young children's nocturnal sleep health and the development of the Perception of Infant and Toddler Sleep Scale (PoITSS) in Aotearoa New Zealand whānau (families). Sleep Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2024.07.004 Journal - Research Article

Kokaua, J., Kolose-Pulefolau, B., Ruhe, T., Aldridge, F., Foliaki, S., Kokaua, L., Mapusua, T., Dacombe, J., Bowden, N., Blakelock, R., & Richards, R. (2023, December). The association between parent education and identifying autism/takiwātanga in Pacific children in Aotearoa: A national ethnic cohort study using linked administrative data. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society for Autism Research (ASfAR) Conference, Christchurch, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Ruhe, T., Kolose-Pulefolau, B., Foliaki, S., Bowden, N., Richards, R., & Kokaua, J. (2023, December). Examining case complexity among Pasifika with autism/Takiwātanga in Aotearoa New Zealand: A national cross-sectional study. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Society for Autism Research (ASfAR) Conference, Christchurch, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Kokaua, J., Kolose-Pulefolau, B., Ruhe, T., Aldridge, F., Foliaki, S., Kokaua, L., Mapusua, T., Dacombe, J., Richards, R., Blakelock, R., & Bowden, N. (2023). Is parent education a factor in identifying autism/takiwātanga in an ethnic cohort of Pacific children in Aotearoa, New Zealand? A national cross-sectional study using linked administrative data. Autism. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/13623613231217800 Journal - Research Article

Higgs, C., Taungapeau, F., Silcock, C., Sanerivi, O., Fruean, E., Lameta, I., Vungamoeahi, T., … Richards, R. (2023). Holistic health for Pacific seniors from a weekly group gathering run by a Pacific health provider. Journal of Primary Health Care, 15(4), 358-365. doi: 10.1071/HC23093 Journal - Research Article

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