Pictured at an event celebrating their community partners are, from left: Associate Professor Ailsa McGregor, Professor Suzanne Pitama, PVC Associate Professor Megan Gibbons, Professor Julia Horsfield and Professor Paul Cooper.
University of Otago leaders gathered to celebrate the work done by community partners which enables the Division of Health Sciences to deliver world-class education, teaching and research.
On Wednesday, 26 November, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (PVC) of the Division of Health Sciences Associate Professor Megan Gibbons, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation Professor Greg Cook, Heads of Faculties and other leadership staff, joined with community partners and stakeholders at the Faculty of Dentistry’s Walsh Building.
This event brought together Otago’s Dunedin-based donors, health providers, community leaders and industry partners to connect, introduce the Division’s new leadership structure, share key updates from the past year, and outline the strategic direction moving forward.
The event included representatives from the Dunedin City Council, Health New Zealand, the Public Trust, WellSouth, the New Zealand Dental Association, Pacific Trust Otago, Otago Polytechnic, Pharmac, Presbyterian Support Otago and many others.
The evening began with a mihi whakatau from Associate PVC Māori Associate Professor Justine Camp (Kai Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha) and an introductory speech from Megan.
Megan spoke about her passion for healthcare education and the importance of innovation in this space to create a healthier future for all New Zealanders.
“We’ve invited everyone here today to discuss how we might grow the Otago ecosystem we’re all already a part of,” Megan says.
“We need to consider what strengths and opportunities we can leverage from each other, and operationalise and share our resources so we might create win-win situations for us all.
“It’s wonderful to connect with new and old friends so we can start thinking about what’s possible as we head into 2026.”
Each of the Division’s Heads of Faculty – Associate Professor Ailsa McGregor and Professors Suzanne Pitama, Julia Horsfield and Paul Cooper – also spoke about how much they value their community partners.
As the inaugural Head of the Faculty of Health Professional Programmes, Ailsa spoke about how her team is building a faculty that is interdisciplinary by design, where tauira will learn to work across fields to deliver better outcomes for the community.
“Guided by Te Tiriti, our work looks at bringing knowledge across a multitude of areas resulting in collaborative efforts that solve real-world problems,” Ailsa says.
“Though our Faculty may be new, we’re not starting from scratch as our medical laboratory science, radiation therapy, nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy schools and departments are strong programmes, built on trusted relationships that have established expertise.
“We deeply understand the importance of teamwork and are glad to be celebrating our community stakeholders today. I look forward to growing our relationships in the future so we might best prepare the next generation of healthcare leaders.”
- Kōrero by the Division of Health Sciences Communications Adviser, Kelsey Swart