MB ChB, DIH, MPH
Professor (Public Health), and Director BODE3 Programme
Contact details
Tel +64 4 918 6469
Mob +64 21 204 5523
Email nick.wilson@otago.ac.nz
Blog blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert
Research interests and activities
Nick is a medical doctor who subsequently specialised as a public health physician and then moved into university-based research. He has over 450 Medline-indexed publications in peer-reviewed journals. His research interests include:
- The health economics of primary prevention of chronic diseases (see the BODE3 Programme)
- Tobacco use epidemiology and control (see also the ITC project website and other tobacco control work)
- Infectious disease epidemiology and control (particularly pandemic influenza but also other infectious diseases)
- Prevention of existential risks such as climate disruption and nuclear war (Existential Risks)
- Background Documents and forms – for research projects which Nick is involved with
Publications
Wilson, N., Chambers, T., Prickett, M., Broadbent, A., & Kerr, J. (2023). Water infrastructure failures from Cyclone Gabrielle show low resilience to climate change. The Briefing, (25 May). Retrieved from https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/water-infrastructure-failures-cyclone-gabrielle-show-low-resilience-climate-change
Wilson, N., Payne, B., & Boyd, M. (2023). Mathematical optimization of frost resistant crop production to ensure food supply during a nuclear winter catastrophe. Scientific Reports, 13, 8254. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-35354-7
Wilson, N., Prickett, M., & Boyd, M. (2023). Food security during nuclear winter: A preliminary agricultural sector analysis for Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 136(1574), 65-81. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Baker, M., Summers, J., Kerr, J., & Wilson, N. (2023). Aotearoa New Zealand's fourth wave of Covid-19 and why we should care. The Briefing, (28 April). Retrieved from https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/aotearoa-new-zealands-fourth-wave-covid-19-and-why-we-should-care?utm_source=mc_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=covid_wave_4
Kerr, J., Thomson, G., & Wilson, N. (2023). Cyclone Gabrielle joins list of Aotearoa NZ's 'sudden mass fatality events'. The Briefing, (28 March). Retrieved from https://www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/cyclone-gabrielle-joins-list-aotearoa-nzs-sudden-mass-fatality-events
Thomson, G., & Wilson, N. (2017). Global tobacco industry. In S. R. Quah & W. Cockerham (Eds.), The International encyclopedia of public health (Vol. 3). (2nd ed.) (pp. 292-300). Oxford, UK: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-803678-5.00463-X
Chapter in Book - Research
Thomson, G., & Wilson, N. (2015). The global tobacco industry. In M. J. Caplan (Ed.), Reference module in biomedical sciences. Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-801238-3.03201-3
Chapter in Book - Research
Wilson, N., Howden-Chapman, P., Wickens, K., & Crane, J. (2009). Indoor mould exposure and health. In P. Howden-Chapman, J. Bennett & R. Siebers (Eds.), Do damp and mould matter? Health impacts of leaky homes. (pp. 19-23). Wellington, New Zealand: Steele Roberts.
Chapter in Book - Research
Thomson, G., & Wilson, N. (2008). The tobacco industry. In K. Heggenhougen & S. Quah (Eds.), International encyclopedia of public health (Vol. 6). (pp. 331-337). San Diego, USA: Academic Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Thomson, G., Wilson, N., & Crane, J. (2008). Rethinking the regulatory framework for tobacco control in New Zealand. In A. Ghose (Ed.), Impact of government policies on marketing strategies. (pp. 179-188). Hyderabad, India: Icfai University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Blakely, T. A., Hales, S., Kieft, C. E., Wilson, N., & Woodward, A. (2004). Distribution of risk factors by poverty. In M. Ezzati, A. D. Lopez, A. Rodgers & C. J. L. Murray (Eds.), Comparative quantification of health risks: Volume 2: Global and regional burden of disease attributable to selected major risk factors. (pp. 1941-2127). Geneva: World Health Organization.
Chapter in Book - Research
Thomson, G. W., & Wilson, N. (2001). Tobacco control policy. In P. Davis & T. Ashton (Eds.), Health and public policy in New Zealand. (pp. 237-254). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Howden-Chapman, P. L., & Wilson, N. (2000). Housing and Health. In P. Howden-Chapman & M. Tobias (Eds.), Social Inequalities and Health: New Zealand 1999. (pp. 133-146). Wellington: Ministry of Health.
Chapter in Book - Research
Howden-Chapman, P. L., Wilson, N., & Blakely, T. A. (2000). Introduction. In P. Howden-Chapman & M. Tobias (Eds.), Social Inequalities and Health in New Zealand: New Zealand 1999. (pp. 1-7). Wellington: Ministry of Health.
Chapter in Book - Research
Howden-Chapman, P. L., Wilson, N., & Blakely, T. A. (2000). Summary and conclusions. In P. Howden-Chapman & M. Tobias (Eds.), Social Inequalities and Health in New Zealand: New Zealand 1999. (pp. 147-168). Wellington: Ministry of Health.
Chapter in Book - Research
Howden-Chapman, P., Wilson, N., & Blakely, T. (2000). Introduction. In Social inequalities in health: New Zealand 1999. (pp. 1-7). Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Health.
Chapter in Book - Research
Howden-Chapman, P., Wilson, N., & Blakely, T. (2000). Summary and conclusion. In Social inequalities in health: New Zealand 1999. (pp. 147-167). Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Health.
Chapter in Book - Research
Wilson, N. (2000). Education and health. In Social inequalities in health: New Zealand 1999. (pp. 87-101). Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Health.
Chapter in Book - Research
Wilson, N. (2000). Labour force status and health. In Social inequalities in health: New Zealand 1999. (pp. 119-132). Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Health.
Chapter in Book - Research
Wilson, N. (2000). Occupational class and health. In Social inequalities in health: New Zealand 1999. (pp. 103-118). Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Health.
Chapter in Book - Research
Boyd, M., & Wilson, N. (2023). Assumptions, uncertainty, and catastrophic/existential risk: National risk assessments need improved methods and stakeholder engagement. Risk Analysis. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/risa.14123
Journal - Research Article
Grout, L., Chambers, T., Hales, S., Prickett, M., Baker, M. G., & Wilson, N. (2023). The potential human health hazard of nitrates in drinking water: A media discourse analysis in a high-income country. Environmental Health, 22, 9. doi: 10.1186/s12940-023-00960-5
Journal - Research Article
Hoek, J., Graham-DeMello, A., & Wilson, N. (2023). Perceptions of illicit tobacco sources following a proposed reduction in tobacco availability: A qualitative analysis of New Zealanders who smoke. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntad034
Journal - Research Article
Nghiem, N., Atkinson, J., Nguyen, B. P., Tran-Duy, A., & Wilson, N. (2023). Predicting high health-cost users among people with cardiovascular disease using machine learning and nationwide linked social administrative datasets. Health Economics Review, 13, 9. doi: 10.1186/s13561-023-00422-1
Journal - Research Article
Ouakrim, D. A., Wilson, T., Waa, A., Maddox, R., Andrabi, H., Mishra, S. R., Summers, J. A., … Edwards, R., Wilson, N., & Blakely, T. (2023). Tobacco endgame intervention impacts on health gains and Māori/non-Māori health inequity: A simulation study of the Aotearoa/New Zealand Tobacco Action Plan. Tobacco Control. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1136/tc-2022-057655
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Cleghorn, C., Nghiem, N., & Blakely, T. (2023). Prioritization of intervention domains to prevent cardiovascular disease: A country-level case study using global burden of disease and local data. Population Health Metrics, 21(1), 1. doi: 10.1186/s12963-023-00301-1
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Payne, B., & Boyd, M. (2023). Mathematical optimization of frost resistant crop production to ensure food supply during a nuclear winter catastrophe. Scientific Reports, 13, 8254. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-35354-7
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Prickett, M., & Boyd, M. (2023). Food security during nuclear winter: A preliminary agricultural sector analysis for Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 136(1574), 65-81. Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Valler, V., Cassidy, M., Boyd, M., Mani, L., & Brönnimann, S. (2023). Impact of the Tambora volcanic eruption of 1815 on islands and relevance to future sunlight-blocking catastrophes. Scientific Reports, 13, 3649. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-30729-2
Journal - Research Article
Boyd, M., & Wilson, N. (2022). Island refuges for surviving nuclear winter and other abrupt sunlight-reducing catastrophes. Risk Analysis. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/risa.14072
Journal - Research Article
Camacho, X., Nedkoff, L., Wright, F. L., Nghiem, N., Buajitti, E., Goldacre, R., … Wilson, N., Blakely, T., & Clarke, P. (2022). Relative contribution of trends in myocardial infarction event rates and case fatality to declines in mortality: An international comparative study of 1·95 million events in 80·4 million people in four countries. Lancet Public Health, 7(3), 229-239. doi: 10.1016/s2468-2667(22)00006-8
Journal - Research Article
Carvalho, N., Sousa, T. V., Mizdrak, A., Jones, A., Wilson, N., & Blakely, T. (2022). Comparing health gains, costs and cost-effectiveness of 100s of interventions in Australia and New Zealand: An online interactive league table. Population Health Metrics, 20, 17. doi: 10.1186/s12963-022-00294-3
Journal - Research Article
Chambers, T., Joy, M., Wilson, N., Hales, S., & Baker, M. (2022). Quantifying the nitrate levels in bottled water in New Zealand. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 46(3), 322-324. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.13196
Journal - Research Article
Gendall, P., Gendall, K., Branston, J. R., Edwards, R., Wilson, N., & Hoek, J. (2022). Going 'super value' in New Zealand: Cigarette pricing strategies during a period of sustained annual excise tax increases. Tobacco Control. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1136/tc-2021-057232
Journal - Research Article
Jones, A. C., Grout, L., Wilson, N., Nghiem, N., & Cleghorn, C. (2022). The cost-effectiveness of a mass media campaign to promote smartphone apps for weight loss: Updated modeling study. JMIR Formative Research, 6(4), e29291. doi: 10.2196/29291
Journal - Research Article
Nghiem, N., Teng, A., Cleghorn, C., McKerchar, C., & Wilson, N. (2022). Using household economic survey data to assess food expenditure patterns and trends in a high-income country with notable health inequities. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 21703. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-26301-z
Journal - Research Article
Thompson, J., McClure, R., Blakely, T., Wilson, N., Baker, M. G., Wijnands, J. S., … Stevenson, M. (2022). Modelling SARS-CoV-2 disease progression in Australia and New Zealand: An account of an agent-based approach to support public health decision-making. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.13221
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Clement, C., Summers, J. A., Thomson, G., & Harper, G. (2022). Differential lifespan impacts on veterans by war exposure in the First World War. BMJ Military Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1136/military-2022-002278
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Hoek, J., Nghiem, N., Summers, J., Grout, L., & Edwards, R. (2022). Modelling the impacts of tobacco denicotinisation on achieving the Smokefree 2025 goal in Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal, 135(1548), 65-76. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Article
Blakely, T., Sigglekow, F., Irfan, M., Mizdrak, A., Dieleman, J., Bablani, L., … Wilson, N. (2021). Disease-related income and economic productivity loss in New Zealand: A longitudinal analysis of linked individual-level data. PLoS Medicine, 18(11), e1003848. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003848
Journal - Research Article
Boyd, M., & Wilson, N. (2021). Optimizing island refuges against global catastrophic and existential biological threats: Priorities and preparations. Risk Analysis, 41(12), 2266-2285. doi: 10.1111/risa.13735
Journal - Research Article
Grout, L., Katar, A., Ouakrim, D. A., Summers, J. A., Kvalsvig, A., Baker, M. G., Blakely, T., & Wilson, N. (2021). Failures of quarantine systems for preventing COVID-19 outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand. Medical Journal of Australia, 215(7), 320-324. doi: 10.5694/mja2.51240
Journal - Research Article
Grout, L., Telfer, K., Wilson, N., Cleghorn, C., & Mizdrak, A. (2021). Prescribing smartphone apps for physical activity promotion in primary care: Modeling study of health gain and cost savings. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(12), e31702. doi: 10.2196/31702
Journal - Research Article
Hoenink, J. C., Waterlander, W. E., Mackenbach, J. D., Ni Mhurchu, C., Wilson, N., Beulens, J. W. J., & Nghiem, N. (2021). Impact of taxes on purchases of close substitute foods: Analysis of cross-price elasticities using data from a randomized experiment. Nutrition Journal, 20, 75. doi: 10.1186/s12937-021-00736-y
Journal - Research Article
Nghiem, N., & Wilson, N. (2021). Potential impact of COVID-19 related unemployment on increased cardiovascular disease in a high-income country: Modeling health loss, cost and equity. PLoS ONE, 16(5), e0246053. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246053
Journal - Research Article
Singh, A., Wilson, N., & Blakely, T. (2021). Simulating future public health benefits of tobacco control interventions: A systematic review of models. Tobacco Control, 30, 460-470. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055425
Journal - Research Article
Teng, A. M., Genç, M., Herman, J., Signal, L., Areai, D., & Wilson, N. (2021). Impact of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes on price, import and sale volumes in an island nation: Interrupted time series analysis. Public Health Nutrition, 24(7), 1828-1835. doi: 10.1017/s1368980021000185
Journal - Research Article
Teng, A., Buffière, B., Genç, M., Latavao, T., Puloka, V., Signal, L., & Wilson, N. (2021). Equity of expenditure changes associated with a sweetened-beverage tax in Tonga: Repeated cross-sectional household surveys. BMC Public Health, 21, 149. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-10139-z
Journal - Research Article
Teng, A., Snowdon, W., Tin, S. T. W., Genç, M., Na'ati, E., Puloka, V., Signal, L., & Wilson, N. (2021). Progress in the Pacific on sugar‐sweetened beverage taxes: A systematic review of policy changes from 2000 to 2019. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 45(4), 376-384. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.13123
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., & Thomson, G. (2021). Deficient handwashing amenities in public toilets in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-regional survey. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1538), 18-27. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Baker, M. G., Blakely, T., & Eichner, M. (2021). Estimating the impact of control measures to prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 associated with air travel into a COVID-19-free country. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 10766. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-89807-y
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Blakely, T., Baker, M. G., & Eichner, M. (2021). Estimating the risk of outbreaks of COVID-19 associated with shore leave by merchant ship crews: Simulation studies for New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1529), 26-38. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Clement, C., Summers, J. A., Thomson, G., & Harper, G. (2021). Impact of war on veteran life span: Natural experiment involving combat versus non-combat exposed military personnel. BMJ Military Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1136/bmjmilitary-2021-001991
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Clement, C., Thomson, G., & Harper, G. (2021). Health impacts for New Zealand military personnel from the South African War of 1899-1902. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1532), 22-43. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Article
Wilson, N., Gurram, N., Grout, L., & Thomson, G. (2021). A survey of the smokefree status of pedestrian-only spaces in 10 New Zealand local government areas. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1544), 69-80. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Journal - Research Article
