MA BM BCh (Oxon), PhD (Otago) FRANZCPContact details
Email pete.ellis@otago.ac.nz
Research interests and activities
Pete trained as a psychiatrist in Wellington and was appointed Professor in 1994. He was Head of Department from 1994-2017. Between 2012 and 2018 he was also Associate Dean for Medical Education, UOW. His research interests included affective disorders and suicidal behavior; service delivery; medical education; and the history of psychiatric treatments. He supervised PhD studies on a range of topics.
He chaired or had other involvement in various depression-related guideline developments, and psychopharmacology more widely through membership of the Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee 1996-2011. He continues some research with long-term collaborators.
Other interests and memberships
He was extensively involved in psychiatric registrar training with the RANZCP, serving on both Training and Fellowships Board Committees. This led to involvement in educational accreditation processes, both as a member of the Medical Council of NZ Education Committee and the Medical Schools Accreditation Committee of the Australian Medical Council, serving as Deputy Chair 2011-17. At an undergraduate level, he was involved in the initial pilot problem-based learning pilot in Wellington and remained involved in curriculum development, serving as alternate deputy chair of the Faculty Curriculum Committee (2009-18) and was closely involved in the final stages of the curriculum map project. He has also been active in the Western Pacific Association for Medical Education, and was elected as Deputy President in July 2018.