Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 3 471 4380
- rebecca.bird@otago.ac.nz
University Links
- Position
- Senior Teaching Fellow
- Department
- Department of Anatomy
- Qualifications
- MSci(Keele) PhD(Glasgow) MHEd(Otago)
- Research summary
- Researching student transition, belonging, and engagement in anatomy and health sciences education.
- Teaching
- CELS 191 Cell and Molecular Biology
- HUBS 191 & HUBS 192 Human Body Systems
- ANAT/MELS 241 Cells to Systems
- PHSL 233 Cellular Gastrointestinal and Renal Physiology
- ANAT 457 Advanced Topics in Anatomical Sciences 2
- Memberships
Professional memberships:
- Ako Aotearoa Academy of Tertiary Teaching Excellence
- Australian and New Zealand Association of Clinical Anatomists (ANZACA)
- New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE)
- International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL)
- Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA)
- Associate Fellow of Advance HE (AFHEA)
University committees:
- University of Otago Teaching Excellence Awards Panel (Deputy Chair)
- Committee for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT)
- HSFY Curriculum & Operational Committee
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Māori Strategic Framework Committee
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Pacific Strategic Framework Committee
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Teaching Committee
- Anatomy Māori and Pacific Tauira Support Network (AMPT)
- Kaiāwhina Māori, Department of Anatomy
- Teaching-Focused Academic Network
Research
Dr Rebecca Bird's research focuses on learner success, equity, and engagement in anatomy and biomedical sciences education. She is particularly interested in student transition and belonging, how students learn, and how curriculum design and learning environments support priority learners, including Māori and Pacific students.
Current research projects examine motivation and engagement in anatomy learning, reproductive and menstrual health literacy, and the academic experiences of repeating students. She is a founding member of the Anatomical Science Education Research and Training (ASERT) collective and collaborates widely across the University to strengthen evidence-informed teaching and student-success initiatives.
She welcomes contact from students or staff interested in related areas of research.
Additional details
Dr Rebecca Bird is a Senior Teaching Fellow / Tauira Matua Kaiwhakaako in Te Tari Kikokiko / Department of Anatomy, where she teaches mainly across 100- and 200-level papers and contributes to curriculum design, assessment development, and student support.
Originally from Wellington, she completed her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Glasgow and holds a Master of Higher Education (Distinction), PGDipHE, and PGCertHE from the University of Otago.
Her teaching has been recognised nationally and institutionally through an Ako Aotearoa National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award (2018) and a University of Otago Award for Excellence in Teaching (2018), as well as research recognition through a School of Biomedical Sciences Pacific People’s Award (2024).
Rebecca works part-time in Anatomy (0.6 FTE) and also holds a 0.4 FTE appointment as a Research Fellow / Kairuruku in Learner Success at the Centre for Educational Design and Innovation (CEDI). Her research focuses on student transition, belonging, academic identity, and equity in health sciences education.
She also serves as Kaikōkiri (Coordinator) for Kōkiri ki Tua, Education Network, as the Dunedin Campus Health Sciences Divisional rep.
Publications
Willoughby, B. R., Flack, N. A. M. S., Bird, R. J., & Woodley, S. J. (2024). Motivation to learn in university science students studying anatomy: A mixed-methods analysis of what drives learning. Anatomical Sciences Education, 17, 818-830. doi: 10.1002/ase.2416 Journal - Research Article
Young, C. D., Taumoepeau, M. M., Hohmann-Marriott, B. E., Girling, J. E., & Bird, R. J. (2024). Sexual and reproductive health knowledges: A study with Pacific young people enrolled in an Aotearoa New Zealand tertiary institution. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 26(2), 265-283. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2023.2201356 Journal - Research Article
Willoughby, B., Flack, N. A. M. S., Bird, R., & Woodley, S. J. (2022). Motivation to learn in university students studying anatomy: A mixed methods analysis of what drives learning. Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Clinical Anatomists (ANZACA) Conference: Learning from Each Other. (pp. 92-93). Retrieved from https://anzaca.org Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Dolodolotawake, M., Bird, R., & Flack, N. A. M. S. (2022). Me tu dei: An investigation into deep posterior leg muscle size in pacifica. Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Clinical Anatomists (ANZACA) Conference: Learning from Each Other. (pp. 46). Retrieved from https://anzaca.org Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Dolodolotawake, M., Flack, N., & Bird, R. (2022). Pacifica views on providing a safe environment for clinical anatomy research. In M. Anakin, R. Bird, N. Flack, Q. Liu, J. McCallum-Loudeac & T. McLennan (Eds.), Proceedings of the Sciences Education and Health Professions Education Symposium. (pp. 23). Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago. [Abstract] Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract