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Contact Details

Email
nick.bowden@otago.ac.nz
Position
Senior Research Fellow
Department
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dunedin)
Qualifications
PhD (Otago)
Research summary
Quantitative social scientist
Memberships

Research

I am a quantitative social scientist specialising in using linked whole-of-population data.

Currently I lead three separate projects. The first examines health and non-health outcomes for autistic children and young people and their parents to better understand the impacts of autism. The aim is to establish a nationwide early screening programme to facilitate more timely diagnoses, and an early support programme for autistic children and their whānau.

The second project explores associations between the physical environment that young people grow up in and subsequent mental health outcomes. The third project examines educational outcomes for young people with type 1 diabetes.

More generally, my research explores the intersection between health and non-health outcomes using population level data and I’m involved in a number of ongoing projects in this space.

Publications

Bowden, N., Dacombe, J., Ruhe, T., Saha, S., Tupou, J., & McLay, L. (2026, July). Autism prevalence in Aotearoa: What national data are telling us. Altogether Autism Takiwātanga Information Hub. Retrieved from https://www.altogetherautism.org.nz Other Research Output

Fraser, B., Saha, S., Buchanan, M., Gibb, S., Monk, R., McLay, L. K., Campbell, P. J., Rogers, J., & Bowden, N. J. (2026). Intersections of autism and sexual and gender diversity among young people in New Zealand. Autism. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/13623613261460933 Journal - Research Other

Woodford, E., Smith, J., Ruhe, T., Kokaua, J., Scott, T., Bowden, N., … McLay, L. (2026). Prevalence, understandings, and experiences of autism among Pacific peoples: A scoping review. Research in Neurodiversity, 2, 100046. doi: 10.1016/j.rin.2026.100046 Journal - Research Article

Alderson, E., Bowden, N., McLay, L., Beaglehole, B., & Schluter, P. J. (2026). Implications of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnostic timing on mental health service utilisation in young adult females: A population-based record linkage cohort study. JCPP Advances. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/jcv2.70133 Journal - Research Article

Schober, T., Bowden, N., D'Souza, S., Gibb, S., Milne, B., & Meehan, L. (2026). Data resource profile: Education and health data in New Zealand's Integrated Data Infrastructure. International Journal of Population Data Science, 11(2), 03. doi: 10.23889/ijpds.v11i2.3364 Journal - Research Article

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