University of Otago 20Twenties Young Alumni Awards announced
Tuesday 26 October 2021
An inspirational group of 20 young Otago alumni have been recognised in this year’s 20Twenties Young Alumni Awards.
Clearing the air: make more outdoor pedestrian spaces smokefree, researchers urge
Friday 22 October 2021
Creating large smokefree outdoor pedestrian spaces would aid the health sector’s efforts to help people quit smoking, researchers say.
Otago researchers solve 58-year medical mystery
Friday 22 October 2021
University of Otago academics have solved a decades-long medical mystery which saw a Dunedin child undergo eight years of unnecessary chemotherapy treatment.
Helping each other PASS
Friday 22 October 2021
Peer Learning Programmes such as Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) and Peer Assisted Numeracy (PAN) are weekly interactive study sessions aimed at supporting student success, facilitated by second or third-year students. The programmes are offered through the Student Learning Development, part of the University’s Higher Education Development Centre.
Students shave for a cause
Friday 22 October 2021
This year, ten students took on the Shave for a Cure campaign, saying goodbye to their locks and raising more than $18,000.
Anxiety impacts ability to perceive changes in our breathing – Otago researcher reveals
Thursday 21 October 2021
People with higher levels of anxiety have altered perceptions of their breathing, which can lead to even more anxiety, a University of Otago researcher has found.
NZ Scholarships students celebrate completion
Thursday 21 October 2021
When Myo Eindray Cho came to New Zealand she knew she was going to take back new skills to her home country of Myanmar.
Dr Erik Wibowo, Dr George Wiggins and Dr Tim Chambers: recipients of Accelerator Grants
Wednesday 20 October 2021
In August this year, 15 early and mid-career researchers received an Accelerator Grant from the Division of Health Sciences.
TB research will make ‘enormous global health impact’
Thursday 14 October 2021
University of Otago researchers are behind a major scientific breakthrough which could lead to elimination of the world’s biggest infectious diseases killer, tuberculosis (TB).
Data confirms rural areas falling behind in COVID‑19 vaccination rates
Wednesday 13 October 2021
COVID‑19 vaccination rates in rural areas in New Zealand are significantly lower than in urban areas, an analysis of data by University of Otago researchers reveals.
Dr Simone Bayer, Dr Matthew Jenkins and Dr Mike Pankhurst: recipients of Accelerator Grants
Wednesday 13 October 2021
In August this year, 15 early and mid-career researchers received an Accelerator Grant from the Division of Health Sciences.
Māori dished out pills to mask chronic pain, study finds
Friday 8 October 2021
Māori adults who experience chronic pain are being prescribed painkillers at the expense of best practice treatments and are not being offered referrals to specialists, research from the Māori community health provider, Tu Kotahi Māori Asthma and Research Trust and the University of Otago, Wellington has found.
Canterbury Medical Research Foundation grants for Christchurch researchers
Friday 8 October 2021
Two University of Otago, Christchurch, researchers have been awarded Canterbury Medical Research Foundation grants.
Bioengineering – Our Changing World
Thursday 7 October 2021
Read the RNZ news article featuring Dr. Jaydee Cabral and her team at University of Otago’s Chemistry Department.
Professor Sue Crengle appointed to new Māori Health Authority
Thursday 7 October 2021
Otago Medical School Professor Sue Crengle will play a central role in what she describes as “the biggest opportunity for Māori health in my career”.
Professor Sue Crengle appointed to new Māori Health Authority
Wednesday 6 October 2021
Otago Medical School Professor Sue Crengle will play a central role in what she describes as “the biggest opportunity for Māori health in my career”.
University of Otago appoints new Dentistry Dean
Wednesday 6 October 2021
Professor Paul Cooper is probably the only person to have worked in the two newest dental school buildings on the planet.
Professor Paul Cooper named Dean of Faculty of Dentistry
Wednesday 6 October 2021
Professor Paul Cooper is probably the only person to have worked in the two newest dental schools on the planet.
Otago Biochemistry’s Smart Ideas success with the 2021 Endeavour Fund
Tuesday 5 October 2021
Two innovative research projects emerging from the Department of Biochemistry have each been awarded a million dollars over three years through the MBIE ‘Smart Ideas’ Endeavour Fund.
Newest Associate Dean (Pacific) dedicated to better Pacific health outcomes
Monday 4 October 2021
The University of Otago’s newest Associate Dean (Pacific) is dedicated to achieving better health outcomes for Pasifika.
Urgent need to tackle smoking rates in Pacific adults and youth
Thursday 30 September 2021
New Zealand needs to take urgent action to reduce smoking in Pacific adults and youth if the country is to achieve its goal of reducing the number of smokers to less than five per cent of the population by 2025 according to a new report.
Some common childhood behaviours may lead to anxiety disorders in later life – study
Wednesday 29 September 2021
New research from the University of Otago has helped identify which specific child behaviours may raise the likelihood of anxiety disorders developing in adulthood and conversely, which ones might give parents, whānau and childhood experts less cause for concern.
It takes a village — addressing obesity and type 2 diabetes as a community
Tuesday 28 September 2021
EDOR advisory board member and endocrinologist Dr Ole Schmiedel calls for more work on reducing obesity in Aotearoa New Zealand to prevent type 2 diabetes.
Researchers pinpoint cause of fatigue during pregnancy
Thursday 23 September 2021
Pregnant women now have a scientific reason for skipping the gym during pregnancy; the same hormone gearing up the body for breastfeeding is also telling the brain to relax rather than run.
Otago genetic pest control projects secure funding
Thursday 23 September 2021
Two University of Otago emerging researchers have secured more than $800,000 to boost New Zealand’s pest management efforts.
Otago wins prestigious national teaching award
Wednesday 22 September 2021
For the seventh time in 10 years, the University of Otago has won Aotearoa’s top tertiary teaching award.
Accuracy of DHB figures questioned by University of Otago study
Wednesday 22 September 2021
The accuracy of District Health Board (DHB) data on the use of consultants and contractors has been questioned by an Otago University research team.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology supporting migraine treatment
Wednesday 22 September 2021
Professor Debbie Hay shares her research into G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and how understanding their responses to drugs could help in the treatment of migraine.
Patient harm common, study shows
Monday 20 September 2021
Patient harm is common in New Zealand, but mostly not preventable, a new University of Otago study has found.
CHeST Symposium reveals what health reforms could mean for the South Island
Monday 20 September 2021
The University of Otago’s Centre for Health Systems and Technology (CHeST) recently hosted an online half-day symposium.
Otago Biochemistry welcomes Dr Nathan Kenny
Friday 17 September 2021
Haere mai Dr Nathan Kenny! Nathan joined Otago Biochemistry last week as a brand new lecturer and research group leader. His plans include researching resilience in kuku, green-lipped mussels, in a project supported by a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship.
A road map to ending diesel vehicle pollution
Friday 17 September 2021
Researchers have developed a road map to accelerate the removal of light diesel vehicles, including cars, utes and vans, from New Zealand roads in a quest to clear the air.
Student-led te reo Māori classes popular with peers
Friday 17 September 2021
An eight-week te reo Māori class for medical students, set up by fellow students, was so popular it will be repeated in future years. The organisers explain how Te Reo Kia Ora sessions at the Hunter Centre began, the philosophy behind the classes and their hopes for the future.
Members of Microbiology: Meet Cecilia Wang
Thursday 16 September 2021
While completing her final year in the Department of Microbiology, PhD candidate Cecilia Wang took the time to share her research on agricultural microbiomes and what brought her to the University of Otago.
Recent PhD graduate discusses how diabetes drug could aid lung cancer sufferers
Wednesday 15 September 2021
Dr Abigail Bland can be found in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, looking at how the diabetes drug metformin can be repurposed for a subtype of lung cancer.
SJWRI research supported by 2021 NZ Dental Research Foundation and Ministry of Health oral health funding
Tuesday 14 September 2021
The New Zealand Dental Association and Ministry of Health (MoH) are key supporters of our cutting-edge dental and oral health research, through the NZ Dental Research Foundation (NZDRF) and MoH Oral Health Research funding rounds. In the 2021 NZDRF funding round, a total of $131,240 in funding has been awarded for research projects led by our staff, PhD and DClinDent students. SJWRI researchers are also lead or key named investigators on projects awarded $61,537 in targeted Ministry of Health Oral Health Research funding. As always, we thank the NZ Dental Research Foundation and the Ministry of Health for their continued support.
Fiordland endeavours result in significant funding
Monday 13 September 2021
Ten University of Otago researchers have been named winners of the 2021 Endeavour Fund.
He Kete Kōrero – Spring 2021
Wednesday 8 September 2021
Welcome to the Spring 2021 edition of He Kete Kōrero with the latest news from the Wellington campus.
Otago researchers secure significant Endeavour funding
Wednesday 8 September 2021
Understanding the future of fjords and their ability to soak up carbon is one of nine University of Otago scientific research projects receiving more than $16 million from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
The secret to teaching is fun
Wednesday 8 September 2021
In a laboratory full of human cadavers, Anatomy Lecturer Dr Latika Samalia will sense when it’s time to tell one of her stories.
