Pūranga karere
Tuesday 17 January 2023
Congratulations to Associate Professor May Mei and recent PhD graduate Dr Mina Rajabi, our 2022 recipients of SJWRI Research Publication of the Year awards. These awards celebrate the best research articles authored by our academic staff and postgraduate students in the previous year.
Tuesday 17 January 2023
Congratulations to Professor Murray Thomson and Associate Professor Sunyoung Ma, recipients of SJWRI Research Supervisor of the Year awards for 2022. These Awards, which were announced at our Faculty end-of-year function late last year, celebrate excellent supervisors of undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking research projects in the Faculty of Dentistry.
Monday 19 December 2022
Dr Carolina Loch is interested in stories – specifically those which an animal’s teeth can tell about its life.
Tuesday 13 December 2022
Analysis of teeth of extinct lemurs has revealed fascinating clues to the evolution of humans, a University of Otago study has found.
Monday 12 September 2022
The New Zealand Dental Association and Ministry of Health (MoH) are key supporters of our dental and oral health research, through the NZ Dental Research Foundation (NZDRF) and MoH Oral Health Research grant rounds.
In the 2022 NZDRF funding round, a total of $122,429 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 $139,193 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.
Thursday 8 September 2022
Thanks to all who joined us for SJWRI Research Day 2022, the Faculty of Dentistry's annual celebration of research. Taking place on Thursday 8 September in the Walsh building and online, this year's event was headlined by a keynote address from 2022 IADR Distinguished Scientist Award recipient Professor Richard Cannon, and featured sessions on Dentistry in life and death, New materials, technologies and therapeutics, Oral health in Aotearoa and Evaluating our teaching, learning and practice.
Wednesday 10 August 2022
We would like your support in an exciting new research project, looking at Māori perspectives of forensic data in the courtroom.
Thursday 3 March 2022
A study into tooth wear in a group of wild Japanese macaques has significant implications for the study of human evolution, a University of Otago study has shown.
Monday 24 January 2022
Dr May Mei and Dr KC Li of the SJWRI are to be guest editors of a special issue of the journal Nanomaterials, focusing on research into the use of nanomaterials for the management of dental disease.
Wednesday 22 December 2021
Each year at SJWRI Research Day, our annual celebration of our research activities and achievements, the best oral research presentations from our final-year doctoral students are marked with awards celebrating their excellence in research and communication. This year's SJWRI Postgraduate Research Presentation awards were presented at the Faculty of Dentistry's end-of-year function on Friday 17 December. Congratulations to PhD student Mozammel Haque Bhuiyan and DClinDent finalist Ceridwen Benn on receiving top honours for their presentations.
Tuesday 21 December 2021
Congratulations to Associate Professor Dawn Coates and Dr Zhen Dong, the recipients of SJWRI Research Publication of the Year awards for this year. Our Research Publication Awards, announced at our Faculty end-of-year function on Friday 17 December, celebrate the best research articles authored by our academic staff and postgraduate students in the preceding year.
Monday 20 December 2021
Congratulations to Professor Mauro Farella and Associate Professor Sunyoung Ma, this year's recipients of SJWRI Research Supervisor of the Year awards, which were announced at our Faculty end-of-year function on Friday 17 December. These Awards celebrate excellent supervisors of undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking research projects in the Faculty of Dentistry.
Monday 13 December 2021
Tooth decay is a common and unfortunate problem for many of us, but two University of Otago studies show it is also an issue for other primates, as well as our fossil relatives and ancestors.
Monday 6 December 2021
The SJWRI is undergoing an exciting period of renewal, with the establishment of new positions on our leadership group and the recognition of emerging areas of research strength as new programmes. These initiatives bring fresh ideas and a diversity of perspectives to how we plan, guide, enhance and measure our research activities, and how we support our research staff and students.
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.
Thursday 12 August 2021
Registrations are now open for SJWRI Research Day, the Faculty of Dentistry’s annual celebration of research, which takes place Thursday 9 September. This year’s Research Day will be an online-only event which will be live-streamed. Learn more and register to take part at otago.ac.nz/sjwri-research-day.
Monday 10 May 2021
The Sir John Walsh Research Institute welcomes Professor Warwick Duncan as the third Director of the SJWRI. Professor Duncan assumes the role as head of the Faculty of Dentistry’s research arm on 1 May, taking over from Professor Richard Cannon, our Director since 2014.
Monday 12 April 2021
Recent PhD graduate Dr Sabarinath Prasad is rejoining the SJWRI, having been awarded a Health Sciences Career Development Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Otago's Division of Health Sciences. His postdoctoral research, under the mentorship of Prof Mauro Farella, will focus on prototyping and validating 'smart' wearable devices to track jaw motion in a range of conditions.
Friday 18 December 2020
Congratulations to Professor Warwick Duncan and Dr Joanne Choi, recipients of SJWRI Research Supervisor of the Year Awards for 2020, as announced at our Faculty end-of-year function on Friday 18 December. These Awards celebrate excellent supervisors of undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking research projects in the Faculty of Dentistry.
Friday 18 December 2020
Congratulations to early-career researchers Dr Joanne Choi and Dr Zhen Dong, the recipients of SJWRI Research Publication Awards for 2020, which were announced at our Faculty end-of-year function on Friday 18 December. Our Research Publication Awards celebrate the best research articles authored by our academic staff and postgraduate students in the preceding year.
Thursday 17 December 2020
This September, the SJWRI and Faculty of Dentistry held a month-long Clinical and Research Excellence Spring Webinar Series in place of our traditional Clinical Excellence Day and SJWRI Research Day events, enabling our final-year doctoral postgraduates to share their research and clinical achievements with the Faculty and the dental profession. On 12 December, at the Faculty Prize-Giving for students, awards were presented for the best clinical and research presentations by postgraduate students within the CaRE Series.
Wednesday 18 November 2020
Overweight teenagers chew slower and spend less time eating compared to their thinner peers, a University of Otago study has found.
Wednesday 2 September 2020
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 2020 NZDRF funding round, a total of $158,296 in funding has been awarded for research projects led by our staff, PhD and DClinDent students. SJWRI researchers are also lead investigators on projects awarded $47,402 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.
Thursday 20 August 2020
This year, the Faculty of Dentistry’s annual Clinical Excellence Day and Sir John Walsh Research Institute Research Day are being combined and run online as a series of evening seminar sessions through September 2020. Our Clinical and Research Excellence Spring Webinar Series will feature clinical cases and research presentations from our staff, postgraduate students and invited speakers.
Thursday 24 October 2019
Early Career Award for Distinction in Research, 2019 winner, Dr Carolina Loch, Department of Oral Sciences
Wednesday 11 September 2019
Congratulations to the recipients of Sir John Walsh Research Institute Awards for 2019, which were announced and awarded at the conclusion of SJWRI Research Day on Wednesday 11 September at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Our Institute Awards celebrate the research achievements of academic staff and postgraduate students, as well as commending the contribution of general staff to the research successes of the SJWRI and Faculty of Dentistry.
Wednesday 11 September 2019
SJWRI Research Day 2019, highlighting the research achievements of the University of Otago's Sir John Walsh Research Institute and Faculty of Dentistry, was held on Wednesday 11 September at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The programme featured presentations from academic researchers, invited keynote speakers and postgraduate students, a research poster competition, and the presentation of the SJWRI Awards for 2019.
Monday 2 September 2019
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. Funding from these grants supports the research of our academic and research staff, as well as training of our postgraduate students.
In the 2019 NZDRF funding round, a total of $142,212 in funding has been awarded for research projects led by our staff, PhD and DClinDent students. SJWRI researchers were also principal investigators on projects awarded $61,059 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.
Wednesday 7 August 2019
The SJWRI is delighted to introduce our Sir Thomas Kay Sidey Postdoctoral Fellow for 2019, Dr Ian Towle. Ian will be working under the mentorship of Dr Carolina Loch on a research project titled ‘An evolutionary perspective on dental properties, disease and wear’.
Monday 1 July 2019
Congratulations to A/Prof Brian Monk of the SJWRI’s Molecular Microbiology research programme on the award of a three-year Project Grant worth $1,199,967 in the 2019 Health Research Council of New Zealand annual funding round, for his project ‘Readying next-generation antifungals for drug development’. This continues a long-standing programme of Marsden Fund and HRC-supported research into antifungal drug development in A/Prof Monk’s laboratory. A/Prof Monk says, "The research will use our structure-based understanding of how existing antifungals work in order to create new broad-spectrum drugs that are more effective and inexpensive."
Thursday 30 August 2018
Congratulations to the recipients of Sir John Walsh Research Institute Awards for 2018, which were announced and awarded at the conclusion of SJWRI Research Day on 30 August. Our Institute Awards celebrate the research achievements of academic staff and postgraduate students, as well as commending the contribution of general staff to the research successes of the SJWRI and Faculty of Dentistry. Dr Erwin Lamping, Senior Research Fellow, was awarded our premier research honour, the Sir John Walsh Award for Research Excellence.
Thursday 30 August 2018
SJWRI Research Day 2018, highlighting the research achievements of the University of Otago's Sir John Walsh Research Institute and Faculty of Dentistry, was held on Thursday 30 August at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The programme featured presentations from academic researchers, invited keynote speakers and postgraduate students, a research poster competition, and the presentation of the SJWRI Awards for 2018.
Friday 24 August 2018
The New Zealand Dental Association and Ministry of Health are key supporters of our cutting-edge dental and oral health research, through the NZ Dental Research Foundation and MoH Oral Health Research Fund grant rounds. Funding from these grants supports the research of our academic and research staff as well as training of our postgraduate students. In the 2018 funding round, a total of $133,432 in funding has been awarded from the NZDRF for projects led by our staff, PhD and DClinDent students. SJWRI researchers were also principal or key named investigators on projects awarded $95,742 in targeted Ministry of Health Oral Health Research funding. We thank the NZ Dental Research Foundation and the Ministry of Health for their continued support.
Friday 19 January 2018
The SJWRI are pleased to announce the 2018 SJWRI PhD Scholarship and Sir Thomas Sidey Postdoctoral Fellowship rounds, to support early career researchers in the Sir John Walsh Research Institute and Faculty of Dentistry. The SJWRI PhD Scholarship is a prestigious award to support doctoral research, while the Sir Thomas Sidey Postdoctoral Fellowships are intended to support outstanding graduates who have recently completed a degree at doctoral level to undertake postdoctoral research in the Sir John Walsh Research Institute. For more information, please contact the SJWRI Administrator.
Tuesday 5 September 2017
Congratulations to the recipients of Sir John Walsh Research Institute Awards for 2017, which were announced and awarded at the conclusion of SJWRI Research Day on Tuesday 5 September. Our Institute Awards celebrate the research achievements of academic staff and postgraduate students, as well as commending the contribution of general staff to the research successes of the SJWRI and Faculty of Dentistry.
Tuesday 5 September 2017
SJWRI Research Day 2017, highlighting the research achievements of the University of Otago's Sir John Walsh Research Institute and Faculty of Dentistry, was held on Tuesday 5 September at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The programme featured presentations from academic researchers, invited keynote speakers and postgraduate students, a research poster competition, and the presentation of the SJWRI Awards for 2017.
Monday 7 August 2017
The New Zealand Dental Association and Ministry of Health are key supporters of our cutting-edge dental and oral health research, through the NZDA Research Foundation and MoH Oral Health Research Fund grant rounds. Funding from these grants supports the research of our academic and research staff as well as training of our postgraduate students. This year, a total of $106,068 in funding has been awarded from the NZDA Research Foundation for projects led by our staff, PhD and DClinDent students. SJWRI researchers were also principal or key named investigators on projects awarded $68,697 in targeted Ministry of Health Oral Health Research funding. We thank the NZDA Research Foundation and the Ministry of Health for their continued support.
Tuesday 4 July 2017
Registration is now open for SJWRI Research Day 2017, to be held on 5 September at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. We welcome all those interested in cutting-edge dental and oral health research - dental professionals, practitioners, biomedical researchers, the dental industry, research funders and research users - to join us for SJWRI Research Day, highlighting the research achievements of the University of Otago's Sir John Walsh Research Institute and Faculty of Dentistry.
Wednesday 28 June 2017
The 2017 edition of SJWRI 3MT, our three-minute thesis competition for postgraduate research students, was held on Wednesday 28 June. SJWRI 3MT challenges our students to present their research in an engaging manner, able to be understood by a general audience with no background in the research area. This competition develops our postgraduate students' research communication skills, as well as giving them the chance to tell us a little more about their project. First-year PhD student Sabarinath Prasad won this year's SJWRI 3MT, with new PhD student Yasmeen Ruma taking the runner-up place.
Monday 15 May 2017
Staff from the Faculty of Dentistry Sir John Walsh Research Institute have made a major contribution to the current volume of Periodontology 2000, the top ranked journal for dentistry.
Thursday 6 April 2017
Sugary foods and fizzy drinks have become common dietary choices for children. The consequences of this are increases in the prevalence of diabetes, obesity and dental caries in New Zealand people, particularly so for Māori. But are children and their whānau aware of how much sugar there is in snacks and fizzy drinks?
Wednesday 14 December 2016
Seventeen leading academics from across the University of Otago’s Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington campuses are being promoted to full professor.
Thursday 15 September 2016
An innovative new approach to developing bone grafting material with anti-bacterial qualities has been supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in their 2016 Endeavour Round. The 'Silverbone' approach, led by SJWRI Clinical and Translational Research programme leader Professor Warwick Duncan, combines unique SJWRI 'nano-silver' technology with New Zealand-developed bone grafting materials to produce artificial bone grafting materials that are resistant to bacterial infection. Professor Duncan and colleagues were awarded $999,804 over three years, with the eventual aim of developing Silverbone products that will encourage bone growth and repair in patients undergoing orthopaedic or oral surgical treatment.
Friday 9 September 2016
The Faculty of Dentistry's Discipline of Dental Technology held their fourth annual Dental Technology Day at the University of Otago College of Education Auditorium on 9 September, showcasing research and clinical case reports from Dental Technology staff and students.
Friday 2 September 2016
Congratulations to the recipients of Sir John Walsh Research Institute Awards for 2016, which were announced and awarded at the conclusion of the SJWRI Research Symposium on Friday 2 September. Our Institute Awards celebrate the research achievements of academic staff and postgraduate students, as well as commending the contribution of general staff to the research successes of the SJWRI and Faculty of Dentistry.
Friday 2 September 2016
The 2016 SJWRI Research Symposium, highlighting the research achievements of the University of Otago's Sir John Walsh Research Institute and Faculty of Dentistry, was held on 1-2 September at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. The meeting opened with a keynote session on clinical and translational research, followed by concurrent sessions exploring research in the areas of epidemiology and public health, molecular microbiology, craniofacial biology and clinical oral physiology, dental education, oral molecular and immunopathology, and biomechanics and oral implantology. The programme featured presentations from academic researchers, invited keynote speakers and postgraduate students, a research poster competition, and the presentation of the 2016 SJWRI Awards.
Friday 19 August 2016
Staff and students from the SJWRI were awarded over $235,000 in funding for research projects from the New Zealand Dental Association Research Foundation and Ministry of Health Oral Health Research Fund, the results of which were announced yesterday.
Friday 1 July 2016
The International Association for Dental Research held their annual General Session in Seoul, Republic of Korea from 21-25 June 2016. This was a joint meeting of the IADR General Session, IADR Asia Pacific Region and our local Australia-New Zealand Division. Some 3,600 delegates were part of the meeting, held in the COEX conference centre in the Gangnam district of Seoul. The SJWRI and Faculty of Dentistry were well represented with 16 staff, two postgraduate and three undergraduate students attending. The SJWRI hosted a booth at the Exhibition (right) to promote the activities and achievements of the Institute and the Faculty.
Friday 17 June 2016
Congratulations to Associate Professor Brian Monk of the SJWRI's Molecular Microbiology research programme on being awarded a three-year Project grant worth $1.198M in the 2016 Health Research Council of New Zealand Funding Round, for his project 'Structure-directed discovery of next-generation antifungals'. The aim of this research is to overcome drug resistance in fungal infections, by identifying and develop next-generation antifungal drugs to augment existing treatments that are prone to drug resistance. Other named investigators from the SJWRI involved in this project are Dr Mikhail Keniya and Dr Rajni Wilson, along with Associate Professor Joel Tyndall of the School of Pharmacy. A/Prof Monk's project was one of 17 Otago projects funded in the 2016 HRC round, in addition to five major, multi-million-dollar, five year programmes including renewal of the Dunedin Study for its age-45 assessments.
Thursday 19 May 2016
A new SJWRI-led outreach project, supported by the government’s Unlocking Curious Minds initiative, is using a hands-on activity - making impressions of animal teeth - to introduce children to the science of everyday life. The project, titled 'Making a good impression: from fossils to false teeth' was one of 44 projects supported for funding in the 2016 Unlocking Curious Minds investment round, announced by the Minister of Science and Innovation last week.
Thursday 12 May 2016
Congratulations to 4th year BDS student Danyon Graham on winning the summer student presentation prize at the 226th Scientific Meeting of the Otago Medical School Research Society, held yesterday evening (11 May). At last night's meeting, 2015–16 Division of Health Sciences summer students presented results from their summer studentship projects. Twenty five students submitted abstracts, of which ten were selected for the oral competition.
Tuesday 10 May 2016
An Otago-led team of scientists using techniques from the field of dentistry is shedding new light on the evolution of walruses, fur seals and sea lions. The researchers have cast further doubt on previous claims that an ancient “killer walrus” was a marine mammal eater.
Tuesday 22 March 2016
The University of Otago welcomed today’s release of the 2016 QS World University Rankings by Subject, in which Otago ranked among the top 100 institutions in the world in 13 subject areas.
Friday 5 February 2016
Mouth breathing during sleep is linked to a more acidic oral environment that may promote tooth enamel erosion and caries, new University of Otago research suggests.
Thursday 26 November 2015
SJWRI Director Professor Richard Cannon was elected President of the New Zealand Microbiological Society (NZMS) at their recent annual conference in Rotorua. The aim of the society is to foster the generation and dissemination of knowledge of microbiology in New Zealand.
Monday 9 November 2015
SJWRI researcher Darryl Tong is one of seventeen University of Otago academics, across a spectrum of research fields, who have been promoted to full Professor. Darryl, of the Department of Oral Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences, has a wide range of research interests which includes clinical (trauma and military surgery), biomechanical (forensic biology and subconcussion in sports), historical (development of maxillofacial surgery) and development of surgical instruments for commercialisation.
Thursday 22 October 2015
The SJWRI's Dr Carolina Loch Santos da Silva and Professor Richard Cannon were part of the first Unlocking Curious Minds Family Science and Technology Experience to be held in Otago, on Thursday afternoon at Carisbrook School in Dunedin. Many children and parents showed strong interest in our display and tooth casting hands-on activity, titled 'Making A Good Impression'. Children were able to choose between orca, fur seal, dolphin, shark, crocodile, cow and sheep teeth, and cast their own to take home or turn into jewellery. Carolina helped about 30 children make models of teeth - It was one of the most popular activities and a number of children said it was their favourite.
Friday 2 October 2015
The SJWRI would like to commend and congratulate forensic anthropology PhD student Jenny McDowell, who was a top-ten finalist in the Trans-Tasman Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, held on Friday 2 October at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Having won the Division of Health Sciences 3MT round in late July and the University of Otago competition at the end of August, Jenny was the University of Otago representative in the Trans-Tasman 3MT, which welcomed PhD students from from universities across Australia, New Zealand, Oceania and south-east Asia.
Thursday 3 September 2015
Prof Warwick Duncan and collaborator Paul Harris of Callaghan Innovation were today awarded $1.2 million in MBIE Targeted Research funding over three years for a project called UltraD3, the aim of which is to develop new dental diagnostic devices which can detect disease using ultrasound.
Wednesday 26 August 2015
SJWRI PhD student Jenny McDowell won the 2015 University of Otago 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, competing against PhD candidates from across all divisions of the University. Jenny's prize for winning Otago 3MT is a research grant of $1,000 and a trip to the Trans-Tasman 3MT Competition, to be held at the University of Queensland in October.
Wednesday 26 August 2015
SJWRI researchers were among the recipients of highly prestigious IADR ANZ Divisional awards presented at the Conference Dinner of the 55th Annual Scientific Meeting, at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin. Professor Mauro Farella was presented with the Division's top prize, the Alan Docking Award, while Dr Jonathan Broadbent won the IADR ANZ Division Investigator Award in Preventive and Community Dentistry. Otago students were also successful in the Colgate Poster Competition, with BDS student Danyon Graham winning the Junior competition.
Wednesday 26 August 2015
Gallery of images from IADR ANZ 2015, the 55th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Association for Dental Research Australia and New Zealand Division.
Wednesday 26 August 2015
The Sir John Walsh Research Institute and the Local Organising Committee of IADR ANZ 2015 would like to thank all those who attended the 55th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Association for Dental Research Australia and New Zealand Division this August in Dunedin, New Zealand. The meeting was a great success with over 180 delegates attending from more than a dozen countries.
Wednesday 19 August 2015
SJWRI research staff and students were highly successful in the recent NZ Dental Association Research Foundation and Ministry of Health Oral Health Research Fund grant rounds, announced yesterday.
Wednesday 22 July 2015
Our 2013-14 SJWRI Research Highlights, launched at Research Day in July, is now available online. Research Highlights is our two-yearly snapshot of research achievements, news and events within the Institute and the Faculty. The 2013-14 Research Report of the SJWRI, a comprehensive record of our research achievements and outputs over the period, is also available for download from the SJWRI website.
Thursday 9 July 2015
Our 2015 SJWRI Research Day was held on Thursday 9 July at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery in the Octagon. Research Day is our annual celebration of the research achievements of the SJWRI and Faculty of Dentistry, featuring presentations from academic researchers and postgraduate students, a research poster competition, and the presentation of the SJWRI Awards for 2015. Research Day also saw the launch of our 2013-14 SJWRI Research Highlights, our two-yearly snapshot of research achievements, news and events within the Institute and the Faculty.
Thursday 9 July 2015
Our 2015 SJWRI Research Day was held on Thursday 9 July at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Here are some images from the day.
Friday 19 June 2015
Dental and oral health researchers from across Australasia are warmly invited to combine cutting-edge research with culture, adventure, and Southern hospitality at IADR ANZ 2015, the 55th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Association for Dental Research Australia and New Zealand Division, which will take place in Dunedin this August at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Abstract submission now closes on Tuesday 30 June, midnight US EDT (4pm 1/7 NZT, 2pm 1/7 AEST). Prospective presenters will be notified of acceptance or rejection of their abstract by 10 July.
Friday 12 June 2015
Researchers from the Sir John Walsh Research Institute, in partnership with Māori health providers, have sought to investigate the oral health of tangata whaiora (Māori mental health patients) through a kaupapa Māori oral health research project funded by a Health Research Council of New Zealand and Ministry of Health Research Partnership.
Wednesday 10 June 2015
Today marks the first anniversary of the passing of Professor Jules Kieser, founding Director of the Sir John Walsh Research Institute. Jules contributed much to many aspects of research, teaching and service in the SJWRI and the Faculty of Dentistry, and continues to be very much missed.
Thursday 4 June 2015
Dr Jonathan Broadbent of the SJWRI's Dental Epidemiology and Public Health research programme was today announced as the recipient of a $1.2M, five-year research grant in the Health Research Council of New Zealand’s annual funding round. The study he will lead, titled 'Oral health from childhood to mid-life', is centred around the age-45 oral health assessments of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, popularly known as the Dunedin Study.
Tuesday 2 June 2015
On Tuesday 2 June the 2015 Colgate IADR New Zealand Section Student Poster Competition winners were announced by competition convenor Associate Professor Nick Chandler. Each year, the SJWRI in conjunction with the IADR NZ Section, holds the Colgate IADR NZ Section Student Poster Competition for undergraduate and postgraduate research students, with award winners supported to attend that year's IADR Australia and New Zealand Division Annual Scientific Meeting and present their research.
Tuesday 26 May 2015
SJWRI researchers have gained over $100,000 in funding from the Lottery Grants Board for equipment to support health research projects in the Institute. Professor Mauro Farella and colleagues were awarded $90,000 towards the purchase of a 3dMDtrio Imaging System and software for 3D imaging of the face, while Wendy-Ann Jansen van Vuuren was awarded over $15,000 towards a Proto-Tech Thermocycler Unit.
Wednesday 1 April 2015
The University of Otago Council has agreed to spend in excess of $200 million on a number of capital projects, including a new Dental School building and a major refurbishment of a Science building on its Dunedin campus.
Thursday 29 January 2015
SJWRI Clinical Research Director Warwick Duncan is among a select group of leading University of Otago academics who have been promoted to full professorships, on the basis of their world-class research, teaching and service to the University and community.
Friday 5 December 2014
The SJWRI is delighted to announce that forensics PhD student Jenny McDowell was awarded an AMP National Scholarship last night (Dec 4) in Auckland. Jenny overcame the debilitating after-effects of a shark attack which inspired an interest in anatomy and forensic anthropology, leading to undertaking a PhD in the SJWRI under the late Professor Jules Kieser. We are extremely proud of Jenny and thrilled that the AMP award, together with support from the SJWRI will help her finish her PhD and achieve her dream of becoming an internationally accredited forensic anthropologist.
Friday 7 November 2014
Two PhD students carrying out research within the Sir John Walsh Research Institute have awarded Otago Centre for Electron Microscopy Student Research Awards. The OCEM Student Awards support novel research projects in electron microscopy, and cover up to 15 hours electron microscope usage and technical support time.
Thursday 16 October 2014
The Sir John Walsh Research Institute is now on social media. Keep in touch with the latest in dental and oral health research from the SJWRI and the Faculty of Dentistry by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.
Wednesday 15 October 2014
The Sir John Walsh Research Institute and the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Otago have established a trust fund in memory of Professor Jules Kieser, who passed away suddenly in June 2014.
Tuesday 7 October 2014
The SJWRI congratulates BDS student Linda Hwang on being the winner of the Junior Colgate Award for the best undergraduate research poster at IADR ANZ 2014, the 54th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Association for Dental Research Australia & NZ Division in Brisbane last week. At the conclusion of the meeting, Dunedin was announced as host city for IADR ANZ 2015, which will be held at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery from August 23-26 next year.
Tuesday 16 September 2014
SJWRI staff and students joined University of Otago Health Science research colleagues from across the country for the 2014 Division of Health Sciences Research Forum, held on 16 September at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. This year's Forum, 'Learning Different Research Languages', centred on themes of collaborative and multidisciplinary research.
Wednesday 13 August 2014
SJWRI researchers have had great success in the recent NZ Dental Association Research Foundation and Ministry of Health Oral Health Research funding rounds, announced in mid-August.
Thursday 31 July 2014
Gallery of images from the seventh annual Research Day of the Sir John Walsh Research Institute, held on Thursday July 31, 2014 at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
Thursday 31 July 2014
On Thursday July 31, 2014, the Sir John Walsh Research Institute held its seventh annual research day, held again at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Students, practitioners, and academics from around campus and around the world joined us for a day that celebrated the research achievements of the staff, students and collaborators of the SJWRI, and paid tribute to the legacy of the late Professor Jules Kieser (1950-2014), founding Director of the Institute.
Tuesday 24 June 2014
A University of Otago researcher has become the first New Zealander ever to win two prestigious awards from the International Association for Dental Research (IADR).
Thursday 12 June 2014
Staff of the SJWRI are saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of the SJWRI inaugural Director, Professor Jules Kieser, and send their condolences to his wife Glynny and the Kieser family.
Tuesday 10 June 2014
A leading UK dental researcher and educator has been selected as the new Dean of the University of Otago’s Faculty of Dentistry.
Thursday 5 June 2014
The SJWRI Dental Education Research Programme held a relaunch event on Thursday 5 June in the Hunter Centre. This event provided interested staff and postgraduate students in the Institute with an opportunity to get together and discuss what format and directions they would like the Dental Education research group to take. As well, it provided an opportunity to network with researchers involved in Higher Education from outside the Faculty.
Friday 30 May 2014
The 2014 edition of SJWRI3MT, the Institute's three-minute thesis competition for PhD students, was held at lunchtime on Friday May 30. The SJWRI3MT challenges participants to present their research in an engaging manner able to be understood by an intelligent audience with no background in the research area. This competition develops our PhD students' research communication skills, as well as giving them the chance to tell the Institute at large a little more about their project.
Tuesday 20 May 2014
On Tuesday 20 May the 2014 Colgate IADR NZ Section Student Poster Competition winners were announced. Two prizes of $NZ2000 were kindly made available by Colgate New Zealand, awarded to support the winners to attend and present at the forthcoming IADR ANZ Annual Scientific Meeting in Brisbane, Australia (Monday 29 September to Wednesday 1 October). Two further IADR ANZ Division Travel Grants were also awarded. Judges were Dr Jonathan Broadbent, Associate Professor Nicholas Chandler and Dr Geoffrey Tompkins of the SJWRI and the Faculty of Dentistry.
Monday 19 May 2014
New University of Otago research out of the world-renowned Dunedin Multidisciplinary Study does not support claims that fluoridating water adversely affects children’s mental development and adult IQ.
Thursday 20 March 2014
Following their award of funding from Cure Kids in late 2013 for their 'Transformer Tooth' research, Dr Lyndie Foster Page and her team were recently announced as recipients of Lottery Health Research funding for a related project investigating the potential of the Hall Technique in preventing caries in childhood populations.
Friday 14 February 2014
The SJWRI and ARCH Network Clinical Research Symposium 'Starting in research? – Let's get it right!' was held at the University of Otago on 14 Feb 2014. The symposium was aimed at academic staff, postgraduate research students and dental practitioners interested in participating in clinical research in oral health and dentistry.
Monday 10 February 2014
Professor Jules Kieser, Director of the Sir John Walsh Research Institute, has been awarded a Carnegie Alumni Diaspora Fellowship from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa for 2014.
Tuesday 4 February 2014
A new University of Otago research breakthrough from the Sir John Walsh Research Institute is helping pave the way for novel antifungal drugs designed to overcome the world-wide problem of growing resistance to current treatments.
Friday 31 January 2014
The Sir John Walsh Research Institute and the Faculty of Dentistry are today farewelling our Dean, Professor Gregory Seymour, and our foundation Clinical Research Director, Associate Professor Mary Cullinan. After eight years at the University of Otago, Professor Seymour and Associate Professor Cullinan are retiring to Queensland to be closer to family. The SJWRI would like to thank and congratulate Professor Seymour and Associate Professor Cullinan on all their successes in their time here, and wish them all the very best in their retirement.
Wednesday 22 January 2014
The research of recent SJWRI PhD graduate Sara Hanning, whose doctoral project was supervised by Professor Jules Kieser in partnership with Associate Professor Natalie Medlicott of the University of Otago's National School of Pharmacy, was profiled today in the Otago Daily Times. Sara's research looked into ways to make the life of xerostomia patients more comfortable, through the development of more effective saliva substitutes.
Monday 23 December 2013
Congratulations to the SJWRI's Dr Lyndie Foster Page, Dorothy Boyd, Professor Murray Thomson, Dr Jonathan Broadbent and Associate Professor Warwick Duncan on their success in being awarded a Cure Kids Research Grant for their proposal entitled "Transform a tooth with a 'transformer tooth.' A novel approach for child oral health." Dr Foster Page and team were awarded $98,510 (plus GST), for a three-year project which has the potential to revolutionise dental care for children.
Friday 20 December 2013
A selection of media coverage of SJWRI researchers and activities through 2013.
Friday 20 December 2013
A selection of SJWRI research student awards and publications for 2013.
Tuesday 29 October 2013
The SJWRI congratulates Professor Richard Cannon and his group within the Molecular Microbiology research programme for their success in the recently-announced Marsden Fund round for 2013.
Wednesday 9 October 2013
The Sir John Walsh Research Institute hosted the 9th NZ Biomouth Conference in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery on the 9th of October. The Biomouth Group are a collaborative group of researchers from institutions across New Zealand, all of whom are interested in various aspects of human mastication, jaw mechanics, food development, dentistry, and other related areas of research..
Tuesday 10 September 2013
Congratulations and thanks to all SJWRI PhD students who participated in the Institute's inaugural 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) Competition on Tuesday 10th September. This very successful event was followed by the presentation of the 2012 SJWRI Awards.
Wednesday 31 July 2013
On Wednesday July 31, 2013, the Sir John Walsh Research Institute held its seventh annual research day, held for the first time at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Students, practitioners, and academics from around campus and around the world joined us for a day that celebrated the research achievements of the staff, students and collaborators of the SJWRI.
Monday 15 July 2013
SJWRI Molecular Microbiology PhD student Madhu Shankar, jointly supervised by Dr Brian Monk of the SJWRI and Dr Joel Tyndall of the National School of Pharmacy, has published the crystal structure of the enzyme lumazine synthase from the fungal pathogen Candida glabrata. This is the first crystal structure of a protein published by researchers working in the SJWRI.
Monday 1 July 2013
Congratulations to Dr Brian Monk of the SJWRI's Molecular Microbiology research programme on being awarded a three-year Project grant worth $1.19M in the 2013 HRC Funding Round, for his project 'Structure-directed antifungal discovery'. Other named investigators from the SJWRI involved in this project are Professor Richard Cannon and Dr Mikhail Keniya, along with Dr Joel Tyndall of the School of Pharmacy.
Friday 28 June 2013
The 2013 SJWRI Clinical Research Symposium was held at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery on June 28, providing an interesting and collegial day of CPD for those who attended. The topics covered by our speakers were both informative and thought provoking, highlighting areas where our clinical decisions are more empirical than evidence based, and forward-looking in providing glimpses of what technology can offer.
Tuesday 14 May 2013
Congratulations to Joseph Antoun of the SJWRI for being awarded a highly prestigious Health Research Council Emerging Researcher First Grant over three years for his project 'The genetics of dentofacial growth anomalies' with Prof Mauro Farella and Prof Murray Thomson of the SJWRI, and A/Prof Tony Merriman of Biochemistry.
Thursday 2 August 2012
The annual Faculty of Dentistry Research Day was held on Thursday 2 August 2012 in the Hutton Theatre at the Otago Museum.
Friday 29 June 2012
Oral bacteria lifted from bite marks may provide a new source of clues for forensic experts, thanks to research projects completed by students at the Sir John Walsh Research Institute in the University of Otago's School of Dentistry.
Thursday 17 June 2010
A University of Otago masters student who researched the damage caused to fabrics during stab events may see her research used to improve ways of identifying weapons used in crimes.
