Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon

Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 470 9074
Email
kirsten.coppell@otago.ac.nz
Position
Research Associate Professor; Regional Associate Dean, Nelson/Marlborough
Department
Department of Medicine (Wellington)
Qualifications
MB ChB DipObst MPH (Dist) FNZCPHM
Research summary
Prevention and management of diabetes and it’s complications and co-morbidities including metabolic associated?fatty liver disease (MAFLD); coeliac disease; community engagement and translational research.
Teaching
I am interested in supervising postgraduate students in any of the research areas listed. Please contact me directly by email.
Memberships
In addition to her research, Kirsten is a Training Programme Supervisor for the NZ College of Public Health Medicine and member of the Coeliac NZ Medical Advisory Panel. She is a former member of the NZ Society for the Study of Diabetes Executive Committee, National Diabetes Service Improvement Group and Gut Health Network steering committe and has contributed to national diabetes clinical guidelines.

Research

Some current projects:

  • Co-Principal (PI) for the Delivering Optimal weighT gain advice to pregnant women (DOT) study
  • He Oranga mo te Whanau: a cluster randomised pragmatic clinical implementation trial of the Management of Osteoarthritis (MOA) and the Prediabetes Intervention Package (PIP) for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis and co-morbidities
  • Co-PI for the study, Does the Porirua community view type 2 diabetes as preventable through community action?
  • PI for the Prediabetes Intervention Package (PIP) in primary care study and what predicts regression from prediabetes to normal glucose regulation?
  • PI for the 2012 and 2024 New Zealand Coeliac Health Surveys

Associate Professor Kirsten Coppell is a specialist in public health medicine and has also trained and practised as a general practitioner in New Zealand and the UK. She is also the Associate Regional Dean in Nelson Marlborough with the University of Otago Christchurch campus. Her research focuses on translational diabetes prevention research in clinical and community settings to improve health outcomes. This includes collaborating with primary care and midwives.

NZ College of Public Health Medicine Training Programme
NZ Society for the Study of Diabetes
Coeliac New Zealand
Gut Health Network

Publications

Hall, S., Kenrick, K., Coppell, K. J., Day, A. S., & Vernon-Roberts, A. (2026). Development and validation of a tool to assess disease-related knowledge in children with coeliac disease. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 15, 997. doi: 10.3390/jcm15030997 Journal - Research Article

Cochrane, J., Forbes, A. J., Coppell, K. J., & Schultz, M. (2026). The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Otago, New Zealand 1996–2024: A 28-year analysis. JCC Plus, 1(1), e70003. doi: 10.1002/jcc5.70003 Journal - Research Article

Zhang, M., Coppell, K. J., Lo, J., & Whitehead, L. (2026). Navigating prediabetes in a foreign country: A qualitative study of self-management experiences among Chinese-speaking immigrants in Australia. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 82(6), 6332-6348. doi: 10.1111/jan.70214 Journal - Research Article

Situmorang, M. L., Mandic, S., Smith, M., Keall, M., Donnellan, N., & Coppell, K. J. (2026). Adolescents' unhealthy snacking behaviour during the school journey and the association with transport modes and food outlets along the school route. Perspectives in Public Health, 146(3), 135-144. doi: 10.1177/17579139241257091 Journal - Research Article

Barthow, C., McKerchar, C., Jones, B., McKinlay, E., & Coppell, K. (2025). Using a citizen's jury to inform type 2 diabetes prevention in an ethnically diverse urban community in Aotearoa. Proceedings of the Australasian Diabetes Congress. 300. Retrieved from https://diabetescongress.com.au/ Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Back to top