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KTustin_smallEmail karen.tustin@otago.ac.nz
Phone: +64 3 479 5089

Karen completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Otago under the supervision of Professor Harlene Hayne. The focus of Karen's PhD research was on childhood amnesia and memory development.

Since 2011, Karen had been working as a Research Fellow in the National Centre of Lifecourse Research (NCLR). She is the Project Manager for the Graduate Longitudinal Study New Zealand, a longitudinal study designed to understand the value of a New Zealand tertiary education by following a cohort of students for 10 years post-graduation.

Research Interests

Childhood amnesia and episodic memory

The focus of Karen's PhD research was on the specific mechanisms responsible for childhood amnesia (the inability of adults to recall their infancy and early childhood). In particular, Karen is interested in how the development of episodic memory contributes to our understanding of childhood amnesia. During the course of her PhD, Karen developed a new technique to interview children about their personal memories and she devised a new coding scheme to tap the episodic nature of the information that individuals report about their memories. One of the studies in her thesis represents the first systematic attempt to examine age-related changes in childhood amnesia across the lifespan.

Longitudinal outcomes of tertiary education

Karen's current work on the Graduate Longitudinal Study New Zealand (GLSNZ) aims to understand the value of a New Zealand tertiary education by exploring how graduates fare in the years following university, in terms of their lifestyles, employment and career development, and their health and well-being. It will provide critical information to both universities and government policy makers, who are seeking robust information on the cost-effectiveness of their significant financial investment in university education and how this is contributing to the social and economic goals of individual graduates and New Zealand society as a whole. The first wave of data collection for this study was completed in 2011, the second wave was completed in 2014 (2 years post-graduation), and subsequent waves will take place at 5 and 10 years post-graduation.

Visit the Graduate Longitudinal Study (GLSNZ) website for more information.

Publications

Tustin, K. (2026, March). Neurodisability: The NZ landscape and what works. Verbal presentation at the Aotearoa New Zealand Paediatric Forum, Auckland, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Tustin, K., & Fleming, J. (2026). State of child health in Aotearoa New Zealand. (pp. 1-58). Auckland, New Zealand: Cure Kids. Retrieved from https://www.curekids.org.nz/ Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report

Tustin, K., Adams, J., Bowden, N., McAnally, H., Wicken, A., Taylor, B., & Turnbull, F. (2025). Kanorau ā-roro: Neurodevelopmental conditions in children and young people in Aotearoa. Commissioned by Ministry of Health, Paediatric Society of New Zealand, and districts of Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ). Dunedin, New Zealand: New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service, University of Otago. 228p. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10523/49735 Commissioned Report for External Body

Taylor, B., Wicken, A., Cadzow, M., Tustin, K., Adams, J., McAnally, H., & Turnbull, F. (2025, November). An interactive dashboard for monitoring child and youth health outcomes in New Zealand. Poster session presented at the Paediatric Society of New Zealand Te Kāhui Mātai Arotamariki o Aotearoa (PSNZ) 76th Annual Meeting, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Wicken, A., McAnally, H., Turnbull, F., Tustin, K., Taylor, B., Adams, J., & Woodford, B. (2025, November). NZCYES child and youth health reporting in the age of “AI”. Poster session presented at the Paediatric Society of New Zealand Te Kāhui Mātai Arotamariki o Aotearoa (PSNZ) 76th Annual Meeting, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

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