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Farnaz Pourzand imageBSc, MSc, PhD
Senior Research Fellow, HERIU

Email farnaz.pourzand@otago.ac.nz

Research interests and activities

Farnaz is a Senior Research Fellow in the Health Environment Infection Research Unit ( HEIRU ) and the Cancer and Chronic Conditions ( C3 ) Research Group at the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington.

In her role, Farnaz serves as a co-investigator on multiple research projects funded by the Health Research Council ( HRC ) and Te Niwha. Her research primarily focuses on the intricate relationships between climate change, land use, water resources, and health outcomes.

She is particularly interested in how environmental factors intersect with public health, aiming to uncover how changes in climate and water quality influence the spread of infectious diseases and the overall well-being of communities.

Additionally, Farnaz is actively involved in research on the current state of cancer treatment and exploring future pathways for improving cancer care for  Māori populations.

Farnaz was awarded her PhD in 2021 from the Victoria University of Wellington in the Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, titled “Effect of Drought and Climate on Agriculture in New Zealand”.

Farnaz' previous role was in the Economic Data and Analysis team in Ministry for Primary industries (MPI) as a senior policy analyst.

Before migrating to New Zealand, she worked as a lecturer for six years at Islamic Azad University of Shiraz and Payame-Nour University in Iran.

Publications

Chambers, T., Hales, S., Pourzand, F., Dean, F., Kim, A. H. M., Puente-Sierra, M., … Baker, M. G. (2026). Drinking water quality and enteric disease: A nationwide case-crossover study (2015-2019) in New Zealand. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1038/s41370-026-00857-8 Journal - Research Article

Pourzand, F., Guo, Y., Chambers, T., Baker, M., & Hales, S. (2025). Linking treated water contamination and campylobacteriosis risk using explainable machine learning. Proceedings of the Infectious Diseases & Pandemic Preparedness Summit. (pp. 54). Retrieved from https://www.teniwha.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Pourzand, F., Kim, A. H. M., Chambers, T., Grout, L., Baker, M., & Hales, S. (2025). Spatial modeling of campylobacteriosis notification rates in relation to drinking water supply characteristics. Proceedings of the Infectious Diseases & Pandemic Preparedness Summit. (pp. 47-48). Retrieved from https://www.teniwha.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Hales, S., Chambers, T., Pourzand, F., Kim, A., & Baker, M. (2025). Association between heavy rainfall, dairy cattle density and campylobacteriosis (2015-2019). Proceedings of the Infectious Diseases & Pandemic Preparedness Summit. (pp. 47). Retrieved from https://www.teniwha.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Chambers, T., Hales, S., & Pourzand, F. (2025). Drinking water quality and enteric disease: A nationwide case-crossover study (2015-2019) in New Zealand. Proceedings of the Infectious Diseases & Pandemic Preparedness Summit. (pp. 46-47). Retrieved from https://www.teniwha.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

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