Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 4 832 3136
- maria.stubbe@otago.ac.nz
- Position
- Professor
- Department
- Department of Primary Health Care (Wellington)
- Qualifications
- MA DipTESL DipTchg PhD
- Research summary
- Communication in health
Research
Maria Stubbe is a social scientist with expertise in qualitative health research, interactional sociolinguistics and the study of professional communication. She has worked in the Department as a health researcher since 2003 and joined the permanent staff as senior lecturer and research director in 2008. Maria is a founding member and co-director of the Applied Research on Communication in Health (ARCH) Group.Her current research focuses on various aspects of communication in health settings (especially the detailed study of patient-provider interactions using conversation analysis, and research into patient experiences of health and illness), along with projects on health service delivery, research ethics and clinical education. She has particular experience in multidisciplinary and qualitative research, and has published widely in the fields of sociolinguistics, workplace language, health communication and health services research.
Maria's research is based primarily in the multidisciplinary Applied Research on Communication in Health (ARCH) Group. She co-directs a programme of research into communication in clinical practice and patient experiences using data from video recordings of authentic interactions between health professionals and patients, recorded interviews and documents. Since 2003 she has also led the development of the ARCH Corpus, a digitized permanent collection of New Zealand health interactions and associated data for use in research and education.
Publications
Stubbe, M., Macdonald, L., Tester, R., Gray, L., Hilder, J., Dew, K., & Dowell, T. (2020). Talking about diabetes and healthy lifestyle in primary healthcare: Translating research findings into practice. In L. Mullany (Ed.), Professional communication: Consultancy, advocacy, activism. (pp. 129-150). Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-41668-3_7 Chapter in Book - Research
Ross, I., & Stubbe, M. (2022). Self-repeats-as-unit-ends: A practice for promoting interactivity during surgeons' decision-related informings. Research on Language & Social Interaction, 55(3), 241-259. doi: 10.1080/08351813.2022.2075641 Journal - Research Article
Holmes, J., & Stubbe, M. (2015). Power and politeness in the workplace: A sociolinguistic analysis of talk at work (2nd ed.). Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 200p. Authored Book - Research
Sheridan, N., Love, T., Kenealy, T., and the Primary Care Models Study Group, including Atmore, C., Crampton, P., Dowell, A., Gauld, R., McBain, L., Stokes, T., & Stubbe, M. (2023). Is there equity of patient health outcomes across models of general practice in Aotearoa New Zealand? A national cross-sectional study. International Journal for Equity in Health, 22, 79. doi: 10.1186/s12939-023-01893-8 Journal - Research Article
Barton, J., Dew, K., Dowell, A., Sheridan, N., Kenealy, T., Macdonald, L., Tester, R., … Gray, L., & Stubbe, M. (2016). Patient resistance as a resource: Candidate obstacles in diabetes consultations. Sociology of Health & Illness, 38(7), 1151-1166. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.12447 Journal - Research Article
White, S. J., Stubbe, M., Macdonald, L., Dowell, A. C., Dew, K., & Gardner, R. (2016). The referred consultation. In S. White & J. A. Cartmill (Eds.), Communication in surgical practice. (pp. 9-34). Sheffield, UK: Equinox. Chapter in Book - Research
Mathieson, F., Jordan, J., Carter, J. D., & Stubbe, M. (2016). Nailing down metaphors in CBT: Definition, identification and frequency. Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapy, 44(2), 236-248. doi: 10.1017/S1352465815000156 Journal - Research Article
Canty, J., Stubbe, M., Steers, D., & Collings, S. (2016). The trouble with bullying: Deconstructing the conventional definition of bullying for a child-centred investigation into children's use of social media. Children & Society, 30(1), 48-58. doi: 10.1111/chso.12103 Journal - Research Article
Morris, C., Macdonald, L., Stubbe, M., & Dowell, A. (2016). "It's complicated": Talking about gout medicines in primary care consultations: A qualitative study. BMC Family Practice, 17(1), 114. doi: 10.1186/s12875-016-0515-y Journal - Research Article
Dew, K., Stubbe, M., Signal, L., Stairmand, J., Dennett, E., Koea, J., Simpson, A., Sarfati, D., … Holdaway, M. (2015). Cancer care decision making in multidisciplinary meetings. Qualitative Health Research, 25(3), 397-407. doi: 10.1177/1049732314553010 Journal - Research Article
MacRae, J., Darlow, B., McBain, L., Jones, O., Stubbe, M., Turner, N., & Dowell, A. (2015). Accessing primary care Big Data: The development of a software algorithm to explore the rich content of consultation records. BMJ Open, 5(8), e008160. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008160 Journal - Research Article
Weatherall, A., & Stubbe, M. (2015). Emotions in action: Telephone-mediated dispute resolution. British Journal of Social Psychology, 54(2), 273-290. doi: 10.1111/bjso.12082 Journal - Research Article
MacRae, J., Love, T., Baker, M. G., Dowell, A., Carnachan, M., Stubbe, M., & McBain, L. (2015). Identifying influenza-like illness presentation from unstructured general practice clinical narrative using a text classifier rule-based expert system versus a clinical expert. BMC Medical Informatics & Decision Making, 15, 78. doi: 10.1186/s12911-015-0201-3 Journal - Research Article
Mathieson, F., Jordan, J., Carter, J. D., & Stubbe, M. (2015). The metaphoric dance: Co-construction of metaphor in cognitive behaviour therapy. Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 8, e24. doi: 10.1017/S1754470X15000628 Journal - Research Article
White, S. J., Stubbe, M. H., Macdonald, L. M., Dowell, A. C., Dew, K. P., & Gardner, R. (2014). Framing the consultation: The role of the referral in surgeon-patient consultations. Health Communication, 29(1), 74-80. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2012.718252 Journal - Research Article
Claridge, R., Gray, L., Stubbe, M., Macdonald, L., Tester, R., & Dowell, A. C. (2014). General practitioner opinion of weight management interventions in New Zealand. Journal of Primary Health Care, 6(3), 212-220. Journal - Research Article
Macdonald, L., Stubbe, M., Tester, R., Vernall, S., Dowell, T., Dew, K., Kenealy, T., Sheridan, N., Docherty, B., Gray, L., & Raphael, D. (2013). Nurse-patient communication in primary care diabetes management: An exploratory study. BMC Nursing, 12(20). doi: 10.1186/1472-6955-12-20 Journal - Research Article
Dowell, A., Stubbe, M., Scott-Dowell, K., Macdonald, L., & Dew, K. (2013). Talking with the alien: Interaction with computers in the GP consultation. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 19(4), 275-282. doi: 10.1071/PY13036 Journal - Research Article
White, S. J., Stubbe, M. H., Dew, K. P., Macdonald, L. M., Dowell, A. C., & Gardner, R. (2013). Understanding communication between surgeon and patient in outpatient consultations. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 83(5), 307-311. doi: 10.1111/ans.12126 Journal - Research Article
Tester, R., Moriarty, H. & Stubbe, M. (2013). Demystifying addiction through personal stories: An online educational resource. Ako Aotearoa. Retrieved from https://ako.ac.nz/knowledge-centre/demystifying-addiction-through-personal-stories-an-online-educational-resource Other Research Output
Stubbe, M. (2013). Active listening in conversation: Gender and the use of verbal feedback. In S. Yamazaki & R. Sigley (Eds.), Approaching language variation through corpora: A festschrift in honour of Toshi Saito. (pp. 367-416). Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang. Chapter in Book - Research
Stubbe, M. (2012). Sociolinguistics and intergroup communication. In H. Giles (Ed.), Handbook of intergroup communication. (pp. 70-84). New York: Routledge. Chapter in Book - Research
Gray, B., Hilder, J., & Stubbe, M. (2012). How to use interpreters in general practice: The development of a New Zealand toolkit. Journal of Primary Health Care, 4(1), 52-61. doi: 10.1071/HC12052 Journal - Research Article
Moriarty, H. J., Stubbe, M. H., Chen, L., Tester, R. M., Macdonald, L. M., Dowell, A. C., & Dew, K. P. (2012). Challenges to alcohol and other drug discussions in the general practice consultation. Family Practice, 29(2), 213-222. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmr082 Journal - Research Article
Major, G., Napier, J., & Stubbe, M. (2012). "What happens truly, not textbook!": Using authentic interactions in discourse training for healthcare interpreters. In L. Swabey & K. Malcolm (Eds.), In our hands: Educating healthcare interpreters. (pp. 27-53). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press. Chapter in Book - Research
Dew, K., Stubbe, M., Dowell, A., & Macdonald, L. (2012). Side effects talk in general practice consultations. In B. R. Bates & R. Ahmed (Eds.), Medical communication in clinical contexts. (pp. 95-126). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. Chapter in Book - Research
Moriarty, H., & Stubbe, M. (2012). Saving face [Comment]. InSight, 16(30 April). Retrieved from http://www.mjainsight.com.au/ Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles
Gardner, J., Dew, K., Stubbe, M., Dowell, T., & Macdonald, L. (2011). Patchwork diagnoses: The production of coherence, uncertainty, and manageable bodies. Social Science & Medicine, 73(6), 843-850. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.12.010 Journal - Research Article
Gray, B., Stanley, J., Stubbe, M., & Hilder, J. (2011). Communication difficulties with limited English proficiency patients: Clinician perceptions of clinical risk and patterns of use of interpreters. New Zealand Medical Journal, 124(1342). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/124-1342/4861/content.pdf Journal - Research Article
Moriarty, H., Stubbe, M., Bradford, S., Tapper, S., & Lim, B. T. (2011). Exploring resilience in families living with addiction. Journal of Primary Health Care, 3(3), 210-217. Journal - Research Article
Pullon, S., McKinlay, E., Stubbe, M., Todd, L., & Badenhorst, C. (2011). Patients' and health professionals' perceptions of teamwork in primary care. Journal of Primary Health Care, 3(2), 128-135. Journal - Research Article
Dew, K., Stubbe, M., Macdonald, L., Dowell, A., & Plumridge, E. (2010). The (non) use of prioritisation protocols by surgeons. Sociology of Health & Illness, 32(4), 545-562. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2009.01229.x Journal - Research Article
Weatherall, A., Stubbe, M., Sunderland, J., & Baxter, J. (2010). Conversation analysis and critical discourse analysis in language and gender research: Approaches in dialogue. In J. Holmes & M. Marra (Eds.), Femininity, feminism and gendered discourse: A selected and edited collection of papers from the Fifth International Language and Gender Association Conference (IGALA5). (pp. 213-244). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars. Chapter in Book - Research
Moriarty, H., Stubbe, M., Bradford, S., & Tapper, S. (2010). Living with addiction: Exploring the issues for families [Blue Skies Report No. 35/10]. Commissioned by Families Commission. Wellington, New Zealand: Families Commission. 60p. Commissioned Report for External Body
Stubbe, M. (2010). ″Was that my misunderstanding?″: Managing miscommunication and problematic talk at work (PhD). Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. 246p. Awarded Doctoral Degree
Moriarty, H. Huthwaite, M. Stubbe, M., & Jackson, B. (2010). Learning to portray empathy. Ako Aotearoa. Retrieved from http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/projects/learning-portray-empathy. [Web Based Education Resource]. Other Research Output
Moriarty, H., Stubbe, M., & Bradford, S. (2009). Opportunities for alcohol and other drug advice in the GP consultation. Commissioned by National Drug Policy New Zealand. Wellington, New Zealand: University of Otago. 71p. Commissioned Report for External Body
Stubbe, M., Dowell, T., Plumridge, L., MacDonald, L., & Dew, K. (2008). Antibiotics: Prescribing dilemma: Do our GPs say one thing while doing another? New Zealand Pharmacy, 28(3), 30362. Journal - Research Article
Dew, K., Dowell, T., Stubbe, M., Plumridge, E., & Macdonald, L. (2008). 'Treating' patients differently: A qualitative study of how clinical and social factors shape interactions between doctors and patients. New Zealand Family Physician, 35(6), 282-386. Journal - Research Article
Dew, K., Plumridge, E., Stubbe, M., Dowell, T., Macdonald, L., & Major, G. (2008). 'You just got to eat healthy': The topic of CAM in the general practice consultation. Health Sociology Review, 17(4), 396-409. Journal - Research Article
Dowell, A., Macdonald, L., Stubbe, M., Plumridge, E., & Dew, K. (2007). Clinicians at work: What can we learn from interactions in the consultation? New Zealand Family Physician, 34(5), 345-350. Journal - Research Article
Jones, D., & Stubbe, M. (2004). Communication and the reflective practitioner: A shared perspective from sociolinguistics and organisational communication. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 14(2), 185-210. Journal - Research Article
Daly, N., Holmes, J., Newton, J., & Stubbe, M. (2004). Expletives as solidarity signals in FTAs on the factory floor. Journal of Pragmatics, 36, 945-964. Journal - Research Article
Holmes, J., & Stubbe, M. (2004). Strategic code-switching in New Zealand workplaces: Scaffolding, solidarity and identity construction. In J. House & J. Rehbein (Eds.), Multilingual communication (vol. 3). (pp. 133-153). Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins B. V.. Chapter in Book - Research
Stubbe, M., & Calhoun, S. (2004). The Language in the Workplace Project. http://www.vuw.ac.nz/lals/research/lwp/index.aspx. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University. [Website]. Other Research Output
Stubbe, M., Lane, C., Hilder, J., Vine, E., Vine, B., Marra, M., … Weatherall, A. (2003). Multiple discourse analyses of a workplace interaction. Discourse Studies, 5(3), 351-388. Journal - Research Article
Holmes, J., & Stubbe, M. (2003). Doing disagreement at work: A sociolinguistic approach. Australian Journal of Communication, 30(1), 53-77. Journal - Research Article
Holmes, J., Burns, L., Marra, M., Stubbe, M., & Vine, B. (2003). Women managing discourse in the workplace. Women in Management Review, 18(8), 414-424. Journal - Research Article
Holmes, J., & Stubbe, M. (2003). ″Feminine″ workplaces: Stereotype and reality. In J. Holmes & M. Meyerhoff (Eds.), The handbook of language and gender. (pp. 573-599). Oxford, UK: Blackwell. Chapter in Book - Research
Stubbe, M., & Brown, P. (2002). Talk that works: Communication in successful factory teams Video & handbook. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University of Wellington. Film/Video/CD Rom
Stubbe, M. (2001). From office to production line: Collecting data for the Wellington Language in the Workplace Project. Language in the Workplace Occasional Papers. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University of Wellington. 26p. Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Stubbe, M. (2001). Talk shop: Researching workplace communication in New Zealand. English in Aotearoa, 43, 23-31. Journal - Research Article
Stubbe, M., & Holmes, J. (2000). Talking Maori or Pakeha in English: Signalling identity in discourse. In A. Bell & K. Kuiper (Eds.), New Zealand English. (pp. 249-278). Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. Chapter in Book - Research
Holmes, J., Fillary, R., McLeod, M., & Stubbe, M. (2000). Developing skills for successful social interaction in the workplace. New Zealand Journal of Disability Studies, 7, 70-86. Journal - Research Article
Stubbe, M., Holmes, J., Vine, B., & Marra, M. (2000). Forget Mars and Venus, let's get back to earth!: Challenging gender stereotypes in the workplace. In J. Holmes (Ed.), Gendered speech in social context: Perspectives from gown and town. (pp. 231-258). Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. Chapter in Book - Research
Stubbe, M. (2000). Talk that works: Evaluating communication in a factory production team. New Zealand English Journal, 14, 55-65. Journal - Research Article
Mathieson, F., Garrett, S., Stubbe, M., Hilder, J., Tester, R., Fedchuk, D., Dunlop, A., & Dowell, A. (2023). Therapist voices on a youth mental health pilot: Responsiveness to diversity and therapy modality. International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 20, 1834. doi: 10.3390/ ijerph20031834 Journal - Research Article
Elkin, L. E., Stubbe, M. H., & Pullon, S. R. H. (2023). ‘Fuzzy and context dependent’: A critical discourse analysis of manipulation in online vaccine information. Communication Research & Practice, 9(1), 67-82. doi: 10.1080/22041451.2022.2137251 Journal - Research Article
Hilder, J., Gray, L., Stubbe, M., Duncan, S., & Dowell, A. C. (2021). 'Water dripping on a stone': A feasibility study of a healthy weight management conversation approach in routine general practice consultations. Family Practice, 38(3), 246-252. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmaa122 Journal - Research Article
Gray, B., Stubbe, M., & Hilder, J. (2021). Better health outcomes as the goal of working with healthcare interpreters: the perspectives of patients and clinicians. In J. Wakabayashi & N. O'Hagan (Eds.), Translating and interpreting in Australia and New Zealand: Distance and diversity. New York, NY: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003150770 Chapter in Book - Research
Dowell, A., Humphrey, G., Stubbe, M., Bibby, S., Cole, M., Dunlop, A., Hilder, J., Karteleva, L., … Zipfel, P. (2026). An overview of the impact of an embedded evaluation of the immunisation education, training and clinical support programme during the New Zealand COVID-19 pandemic. Cureus, 18(1), e101706. doi: 10.7759/cureus.101706 Journal - Research Article
Mathieson, F., Cumming, R., Stubbe, M., & Jenkin, G. (2026). What's it like? What service user metaphors reveal about experiences of acute mental health inpatient facilities. Current Psychology, 45, 864. doi: 10.1007/s12144-026-09295-z Journal - Research Article
Hilder, J., & Stubbe, M. (2025). Conversations, connections and community: Seven case studies of innovative vaccine delivery for Māori and Pasifika during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wellington, New Zealand: University of Otago. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10523/46063 Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Saraf, R., Dowell, T., Stubbe, M., Marsh, S., & Turner, N. (2025). New Zealand school children's perspectives on influenza: Listening to young voices in respiratory health. BMC Pediatrics, 25, 740. doi: 10.1186/s12887-025-06130-5 Journal - Research Article
Bibby, S., Marsh, S., Dowell, A., Sexton, A., Hilder, J., Turner, N., Castelino, L., & Stubbe, M. (2025). Respiratory multi-viral rapid-antigen point-of-care-tests in New Zealand primary care: A mixed-methods pilot. BJGP Open. Advance online publication. doi: 10.3399/bjgpo.2025.0108 Journal - Research Article
Ballantyne, A., Style, R., Stubbe, M., Murton, S., & Dowell, T. (2025). Using AI scribes in New Zealand primary care consultations: An exploratory survey. Journal of Primary Health Care. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1071/HC25079 Journal - Research Article
Dowell, A., Stubbe, M., Dunlop, A., Fedchuk, D., Gardiner, T., Garrett, S., Gordon, S., Hilder, J., Mathieson, F., & Tester, R. (2024). Evaluating success and challenges of a primary care youth mental health programme using complexity, implementation science, and appreciative inquiry. Cureus, 16(4), e58870. doi: 10.7759/cureus.58870 Journal - Research Article
Sheridan, N., Hoare, K., Carryer, J., Mills, J., Hewitt, S., Love, T., … and the Primary Care Models Study Group, including Atmore, C., Crampton, P., Dowell, A., Gauld, R., McBain, L., Stokes, T., & Stubbe, M. (2024). Nurses' work in relation to patient health outcomes: An observational study comparing models of primary care. International Journal for Equity in Health, 23, 198. doi: 10.1186/s12939-024-02288-z Journal - Research Article
Garrett, S. M., Hilder, J., Tester, R., Dunlop, A., Gardiner, T., Dowell, T., … Shippam, M., Tanirau, S., Kenny, N., McBride, C., … Rukuwai, E., Aryan, N., & Stubbe, M. (2024). Young people talk about digital support for mental health: An online survey of 15-30 year olds in New Zealand. Health Expectations, 27, e70001. doi: 10.1111/hex.70001 Journal - Research Article
White, S. J., Condon, B., Ditton-Phare, P., Dodd, N., Gilroy, J., Hersh, D., … Stubbe, M., … Gilligan, C. (2023). Enhancing effective healthcare communication in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand: Considerations for research, teaching, policy, and practice. PEC Innovation, 3, 100221. doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2023.100221 Journal - Research Article
White, S. J., & Stubbe, M. (2023). Patient responses to diagnosis in surgeon-patient consultations. Health Communication, 38(3), 608-617. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2021.1965278 Journal - Research Article
Elkin, L. E., Pullon, S. R. H., & Stubbe, M. H. (2020). 'Should I vaccinate my child?' Comparing the displayed stances of vaccine information retrieved from Google, Facebook and YouTube. Vaccine, 38, 2771-2778. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.02.041 Journal - Research Article
Hilder, J., Stubbe, M., Macdonald, L., Abels, P., & Dowell, A. C. (2020). Communication in high risk ante-natal consultations: A direct observational study of interactions between patients and obstetricians. BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth, 20, 493. doi: 10.1186/s12884-020-03015-6 Journal - Research Article
Hilder, J., Gray, B., & Stubbe, M. (2019). Health navigation and interpreting services for patients with limited English proficiency: A narrative literature review. Journal of Primary Health Care, 11(3), 217-226. doi: 10.1071/HC18067 Journal - Research Article
Dowell, A., Stubbe, M., Macdonald, L., Tester, R., Gray, L., Vernall, S., … Dew, K. (2018). A longitudinal study of interactions between health professionals and people with newly diagnosed diabetes. Annals of Family Medicine, 16(1), 37-44. doi: 10.1370/afm.2144 Journal - Research Article
Gray, L., Stubbe, M., Macdonald, L., Tester, R., Hilder, J., & Dowell, A. C. (2018). A taboo topic? How general practitioners talk about overweight and obesity in New Zealand. Journal of Primary Health Care, 10(2), 150-158. doi: 10.1071/HC17075 Journal - Research Article
Dowell, A., Morris, C., McDonald, L., & Stubbe, M. (2017). "I can't bend it and it hurts like mad": Direct observation of gout consultations in routine primary health care. BMC Family Practice, 18(91). doi: 10.1186/s12875-017-0662-9 Journal - Research Article
Mathieson, F., Jordan, J., Merrick, P., & Stubbe, M. (2017). Juicy conceptualizations: Increasing alliance through attending to client metaphoric language. Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapy, 45(6), 577-589. doi: 10.1017/s1352465817000339 Journal - Research Article