Past learning creates a hopeful future

More than seven years after first enrolling, Paul Kane will graduate this weekend with a PhD and a deep sense of pride, knowing his research has already made an impact on the radiation therapy profession.

Studying part-time while working as a Senior Lecturer at the Pōneke Wellington campus, Paul’s thesis was on the topic of educational reform and explored how the undergraduate Radiation Therapy degree could be improved by being interlaced with educational theory.

“In a nutshell, I am fascinated by the way we learn and the structures we place around learning,” Paul says.

“I wanted to see if I could play my part in bettering the Radiation Therapy programme by evaluating what drives a degree’s curriculum and how this can be improved.

“Some of the findings included: making our teaching explicitly help students form a professional identity; revisiting structures around clinical learning; and advocating for an industry advisory panel.

“I’m elated to say Otago’s Department of Radiation Therapy has already adopted some of these recommendations.”

Paul says his thesis emphasises how making research-informed decisions when developing educational structures is not only best practice, but vital to ensuring teaching practices are continually improved.

He says the clinical work done by radiation therapists is hugely rewarding and is going to be increasingly necessary as New Zealand’s population ages and grows, and so work needs to be done to ensure those studying to join this workforce are equipped as well as possible.

Paul hopes postgraduate study in the field will become increasingly normalised so others can gain from the experience he had, adding this will be good for both the profession and the patients that benefit so much from it.

Paul has been a member of the Department since 2008, though his PhD was completed through Otago’s Ōtepoti based Centre for Educational Design and Innovation. Paul is exceedingly grateful to his supervisors Dr Sarah Stein and Dr Julie Timmermans for their support as he says completing a PhD over an extended period of time via distance required resilience on all their parts.

“Being able to study at Otago has been an invaluable part of my growth as an Otago academic kaimahi, and I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue this PhD..." – Paul Kane

“Even in 2026, most postgraduate study centres heavily around students being physically present, studying full-time and being in a different, younger, stage of life.”

Paul’s situation meant he had to maintain his already existing academic career, adult life and distance learning, which was quite the challenge.

He credits having done his research Masters through Otago as having laid the groundwork for this almost-decade long endeavour.

“Being able to study at Otago has been an invaluable part of my growth as an Otago academic kaimahi, and I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue this PhD, as it has been instrumental in me getting to this stage and I want to point that out at every opportunity I get.”

Paul extends further credit to both the previous and current Heads of the Department, the late Associate Professor Peter Larsen and Kate Chadwick for the unwavering support and positivity they showed him during his study.

Born and raised in Ireland, Paul completed his Bachelors degree in Therapy Radiography in 1993 at Ulster University and worked clinically across Ireland. He joined the University of Otago when he moved to Wellington in 2008 . After growing up in the Irish countryside, Paul feels right at home in the climate and culture of Aotearoa New Zealand and has become a citizen having lived here for more than 18 years.

– Kōrero by the Division of Health Sciences Communications Adviser, Kelsey Swart