
Thursday 15 April 2021
Researchers from the University of Otago’s ASPIRE 2025 Research Centre, which carries out research to support the Smokefree 2025 goal, have welcomed and endorsed the action plan for achieving a Smokefree Aotearoa by 2025 released by Associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall today.

Wednesday 14 April 2021
Professor Michael Baker MNZM, from the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington has won the 2020 Prime Minister’s Science Communication Prize.

Wednesday 14 April 2021
Professor Michael Baker is the winner of the 2020 Prime Minister’s Science Communication Prize.

Friday 9 April 2021
The University's Travel Survey is open for submissions from 13 April.

Wednesday 7 April 2021
Two thirds of New Zealanders believed there were ‘silver linings’ to the country’s Alert Level 4 COVID-19 lockdown imposed in March last year, a University of Otago survey has found.

Monday 29 March 2021
Te Tai o Poutini is to benefit from an interprofessional learning programme set up by the University of Otago and funded by the Ministry of Health which will bring about 50 senior students in a variety of health professions each year to the Coast.

Tuesday 23 March 2021
Clear, honest communication and a good rapport with doctors are key factors in the high levels of satisfaction reported by patients with high risk pregnancies following consultation with specialist obstetricians, researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington, have found.

Tuesday 23 March 2021
A group of early to mid-career researchers within the Division of Health Sciences is helping to support their peers to achieve research excellence.

Monday 22 March 2021
Public Health Professor Michael Baker has been selected as Wellingtonian of the Year for 2020 at The Dominion Post newspaper’s annual ‘Welly Awards’.

Thursday 18 March 2021
For outgoing Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne leaving Otago after spending half of her life here is bittersweet.

Friday 12 March 2021
Increasing the amount of time schools devote to physical education each week could dramatically reduce the number of children who are doing only minimal levels of exercise, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington and Sport New Zealand have found.

Wednesday 10 March 2021
Aotearoa New Zealand’s next pandemic plan needs a completely different approach to our previous plan that was focussed on influenza, say researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington in a new article that identifies key lessons from the COVID-19 response for managing future major outbreaks and pandemics.

Tuesday 9 March 2021
Professor Harlene Hayne, the out-going Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago, will be recognised for her contribution to the institution with the conferring of an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Tuesday 9 March 2021
The University of Otago is currently on track to record solid overall enrolment growth in 2021, with a surge in domestic enrolments more than offsetting the decline in international enrolments.

Thursday 25 February 2021
Ben Gray retired from general practice late last year, after 35 years.

Thursday 25 February 2021
The World of Difference service user education and research group is the recipient of a Lived Experience Leadership Award.

Thursday 18 February 2021
When Dr Kim O’Sullivan returned to her high school to speak with students as part of her post-doctoral research; it was the beginning of a new chapter for (then) high school student Isobel Harris Clark.

Thursday 11 February 2021
On average, 12-year-old children snack on unhealthy food and beverages five times a day, according to new research from the University of Otago.

Wednesday 10 February 2021
The University of Otago is launching a formal inquiry into sixth year Medical Degree electives following failure to meet attendance requirements for overseas electives by a significant number of students in the 2019 MB ChB Trainee Intern Class.

Thursday 4 February 2021
New Zealand’s COVID-19 lockdown had mixed effects on smoking behaviours, a University of Otago study reveals.

Thursday 4 February 2021
Four Otago students are working on COVID-19 research projects at the Ministry of Health Manatū Hauora as part of the summer studentship programme.

Monday 1 February 2021
Consumer NZ has used the full-body DXA X-ray scanner at the University’s Wellington campus as the gold standard against which to measure the accuracy of body fat bathroom scales and body composition scans.

Wednesday 27 January 2021
Health authorities should develop targeted health messages for vaping product and e-liquid packaging to encourage smokers to switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes and to prevent non-smokers from taking up vaping, a researcher at the University of Otago, Wellington says.

Wednesday 27 January 2021
“I’ve known for a long time that I want to do something that helps people and I decided law was a way of helping many people at once.”

Tuesday 26 January 2021
One year on from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Otago Wellington has assembled a world-leading line-up of expert speakers for its annual Public Health Summer School in February.

Thursday 21 January 2021
A new six-week placement is giving Otago medical students hands-on experience in LGBTQIA+ healthcare.

Monday 18 January 2021
An inspirational group of University of Otago alumni, staff and friends have been recognised in the 2021 New Year Honours.

Wednesday 23 December 2020
A goal of eliminating community transmission of the pandemic virus causing COVID-19 is achievable and sustainable as a response strategy for COVID-19 and other emerging pandemic diseases, new research suggests.

Monday 21 December 2020
Professor Helen Nicholson will take up the role of Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago in 2021.

Wednesday 16 December 2020
Welcome to the Summer 2020 edition of He Kete Kōrero, with the latest news from the Wellington campus.

Monday 14 December 2020
Three researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington, have received grants from the Marsden Fund to conduct research into topics ranging from tissue grafting to youth substance use to energy use in a warming world.

Monday 14 December 2020
The first thing Jesse Miller did when he found out he’d received the 2019 Angela Allen Travelling Scholarship for top Bachelor of Radiation Therapy graduate was call his mum.

Monday 14 December 2020
The arrival of a new state-of-the-art $400,000 spectral flow cytometer on the Wellington campus will significantly enhance the University’s capacity to do biomedical research.

Friday 11 December 2020
A researcher at the University of Otago, Wellington, will begin an epic 3,000 kilometre cycle ride from Cape Reinga to Bluff in December.

Tuesday 8 December 2020
Twenty-six University of Otago academics have been promoted to the position of professor this year.

Friday 4 December 2020
Despite being considered a form of torture, and policies to reduce or abolish it in place, the use of mechanical restraints in psychiatric settings continues, a University of Otago-led study shows.

Friday 4 December 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic-induced recession and rising unemployment may increase the occurrence of heart disease in New Zealand, particularly in middle-aged men.

Thursday 3 December 2020
With COVID-19 vaccines now on the horizon, a travel doctor and convenor of the travel medicine programme at the University of Otago, Wellington, is urging general practice staff to undertake further study to upgrade their travel medicine skills.

Friday 27 November 2020
New Zealand jewellers have put their hands together to create medals for three researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington, as a thanks for their work on New Zealand’s COVID-19 response.

Friday 20 November 2020
New Zealanders who live outside the major urban centres are significantly more likely to experience adverse long-term health outcomes after a stroke than those managed in urban hospitals, research from the University of Otago, Wellington has found.

Friday 20 November 2020
The annual University of Otago Staff Awards took place on 20 November, with an expanded list of awards to mark a truly remarkable year.

Thursday 19 November 2020
The Otago Staff Values were launched by Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne this week.

Tuesday 17 November 2020
Designated outdoor smoking areas in bars are facilitating experimentation and tobacco use among young adults, a new study has found.

Monday 16 November 2020
University of Otago researcher Professor Mark Weatherall has been jointly awarded the prestigious Health Research Council’s Liley Medal, awarded annually for outstanding contributions to the health and medical sciences.

Wednesday 11 November 2020
University of Otago researchers have secured $17.5 million in Marsden funding for 30 world-class research projects.

Tuesday 10 November 2020
University of Otago researchers have secured $17.5 million in Marsden funding for 30 world-class research projects.

Thursday 5 November 2020
Research published today has confirmed the nationwide Alert Level 4 COVID-19 lockdown had a significant toll on New Zealanders’ well-being, especially for younger people – but the results were not all negative.

Thursday 5 November 2020
Ten University of Otago researchers carrying out Māori-specific research have received HRC funding.

Friday 30 October 2020
A University of Otago researcher has been awarded a grant to undertake vital research on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) which she says disproportionately affects Māori in epidemic proportions.

Thursday 29 October 2020
The work of 22 University of Otago researchers has been recognised with Career Development Awards from the Health Research Council.

Thursday 22 October 2020
Both Taiwan and New Zealand have successfully eliminated COVID-19 with world-leading pandemic responses. By taking a particularly proactive approach, Taiwan’s response was probably the most effective and least disruptive of any country’s, researchers say.

Wednesday 14 October 2020
Leading historian Professor Tony Ballantyne, FRSNZ, has accepted a new role at the University of Otago as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement), effective from next year.

Wednesday 14 October 2020
Third-year medical students have been given a unique opportunity to become field assistants for a COVID-19 research project, conducting virtual interviews with community groups about the impact of the pandemic on their organisations.

Monday 12 October 2020
If effective school zoning policies were widely applied, more adolescents would get valuable exercise walking or cycling to their nearest school, an Otago researcher says.

Friday 9 October 2020
Leading specialists in addiction treatment, public health, health promotion and epidemiology are calling on New Zealanders to vote for cannabis law reform in the current referendum.

Thursday 8 October 2020
The University of Otago announced this afternoon that Professor Harlene Hayne is leaving her role as Vice-Chancellor in April 2021. Professor Hayne has been appointed to the role of Vice-Chancellor at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.

Monday 5 October 2020
Even before she came to Otago Gisela Kristono always knew she wanted to help people.

Monday 5 October 2020
Even before she came to Otago Gisela Kristono always knew she wanted to help people.

Thursday 1 October 2020
University of Otago academics and alumnae have been named as finalists in the Women of Influence awards.

Wednesday 23 September 2020
Instagram users who post self-harm content online are choosing ambiguous hashtags in an attempt to circumvent the social media platform’s ban on harmful content, a researcher at the University of Otago, Wellington, has found.

Friday 18 September 2020
People who smoke are increasingly using e-cigarettes to try to quit smoking, a study by researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington, has found.

Tuesday 15 September 2020
Much has been said of late about Medical School admissions at the University of Otago and our Mirror on Society Policy.

Tuesday 15 September 2020
Ten University of Otago proposals have been awarded funding through the Health Research Council’s (HRC) new Health Delivery Research Investment round. The 32 research grants are the first of two funding announcements for the HRC’s new Health Delivery Research portfolio.

Tuesday 15 September 2020
Ten Otago proposals awarded funding from the Health Research Council’s new Health Delivery Research Investment round.

Friday 11 September 2020
Two University of Otago proposals have been awarded over NZ$27 million in the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Endeavour Fund 2020 grants.

Thursday 27 August 2020
This week marks six months since New Zealand’s first COVID-19 case was identified on February 26.

Monday 24 August 2020
Welcome to the Spring 2020 edition of He Kete Kōrero with the latest news from the Wellington campus.

Tuesday 18 August 2020
An increased level of fructose intake during pregnancy can cause significant changes in maternal metabolic function and milk composition and alter the metabolism of their offspring, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington, have found.

Thursday 6 August 2020
Eight University of Otago graduates from across the University have been named Fulbright New Zealand award winners.

Monday 3 August 2020
For the first time, the Gama Foundation has recognised two people at once for their efforts in being the ‘Critic and Conscience of Society’ – both University of Otago academic staff members.

Tuesday 28 July 2020
Media coverage of the March 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings contributed to an increase in public support for gun control, a study by researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington has found.

Wednesday 8 July 2020
Most people who smoke or have recently quit smoking support New Zealand’s goal of becoming a smokefree nation by 2025, researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington have found.

Wednesday 1 July 2020
A consumer tax on the saturated fat, salt and sugar content of food, accompanied by a 20 per cent subsidy on fruit and vegetables, would bring major benefits for the health sector, researchers from Otago, Auckland and Melbourne Universities say.

Tuesday 30 June 2020
The University of Otago’s housing and health research programme He Kāinga Oranga will receive just under $5 million from the Health Research Council of New Zealand to continue research to maximise the health and wellbeing gains from housing.

Tuesday 30 June 2020
University of Otago, Wellington infectious diseases expert Professor Michael Baker has received almost $5 million from the Health Research Council for a programme investigating the connection between infectious diseases and long-term conditions, something he was planning well prior to the outbreak of Covid-19.

Tuesday 30 June 2020
The creator of New Zealand’s bubble concept, introduced early on in the COVID-19 response to ensure Kiwis maintained social distancing, has been surprised and delighted by the take up of his idea.

Tuesday 16 June 2020
Controversy over public statues is nothing new, with protestors taking to New Zealand’s statues with a range of weapons including an axe, a concrete cutter and a hammer over recent decades, a study by researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington, has found.

Tuesday 16 June 2020
In an opinion piece first published on newsroom.co.nz, Otago’s Dr Caroline Shaw explores the differences between men's and women’s approaches to sustainable travel – and how to get both genders out of their cars.

Friday 12 June 2020
Walking and cycling have many benefits and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but researchers say we need to think about what people eat to fuel their walking and cycling.

Thursday 11 June 2020
Just a few weeks since it was launched, the University of Otago student financial relief fund Pūtea Tautoko has provided NZD$659,156 in grants to support students facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wednesday 10 June 2020
Women use more diverse modes of travel and generate lower greenhouse gas emissions than men, despite men being more than twice as likely to travel by bike, a New Zealand study has found.

Tuesday 9 June 2020
Otago staff members and alumni were prominent in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Monday 8 June 2020
Today, for the first time since February 28, New Zealand has no active cases of COVID-19.

Friday 5 June 2020
A post-graduate course on refugee and migrant health being run by the University of Otago, Wellington is offering primary health care professionals the opportunity to improve their training in the area, ahead of a likely increase in the number of refugees coming to the country.

Friday 5 June 2020
A campaign highlighting the role Otago’s academics and medical experts have played in shaping New Zealand’s response to COVID-19 will be released this weekend.

Friday 29 May 2020
The tobacco industry is targeting a new generation of smokers with sophisticated marketing designed to associate smoking with rebellion, social prestige and attractiveness, researchers from the tobacco control research centre ASPIRE 2025, at the University of Otago, say.

Monday 25 May 2020
Māori and Pasifika who have not been able to quit smoking may need more support to move from smoking to vaping, researchers from the University of Otago and Māori public health collective Hāpai Te Hauora have found.

Friday 22 May 2020
As the University re-opens under Alert Level 2, and life takes on a new normal following the COVID-19 lockdown, Communications Adviser (Projects) Sean Flaherty takes a closer look at Otago's ongoing response to the global pandemic.

Tuesday 19 May 2020
Teenagers interviewed about their views on the suicide portrayed in the controversial Netflix series 13 Reasons Why report being shocked by the graphic detail of the scene, which they saw as excessive, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington, have found.

Friday 15 May 2020
The University of Otago is delighted to welcome back students to all its campuses and colleges after they played a major role, and made their own sacrifices, when the nation united against COVID-19.

Monday 11 May 2020
COVID-19 may well be the catalyst for significant change in how general practice operates in New Zealand in future, according to University of Otago general practice experts.

Friday 8 May 2020
Two of Otago’s Medical Trainee Interns describe their time spent in COVID-19 lockdown in Peru and their anxious wait to come home.

Thursday 7 May 2020
Professional footballers are used to having their fitness assessed, so when three first team players from the Wellington Phoenix visit the University of Otago, Wellington (pre-lockdown) for a state-of-the-art full body scan, they are unfazed.

Tuesday 5 May 2020
Welcome to the Autumn 2020 edition of He Kete Kōrero, with recent highlights from the Wellington campus.

Friday 24 April 2020
The University of Otago is committing $1.5 million as an initial investment to support Otago students facing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 global outbreak.

Wednesday 22 April 2020
Much laughter and camaraderie was shared when a team of 20 staff and students from the University of Otago, Wellington banded together to compete in the Dragon Boat Festival on Wellington Harbour on 7 March.

Tuesday 21 April 2020
Dr Rachelle Martin, a researcher and lecturer in the University of Otago Wellington’s Department of Medicine was one of two people to share their COVID-19 story with New Zealand Doctor. We re-publish this article with permission.