Pūranga karere
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Friday 17 April 2020
A University of Otago molecular biologist has received new Government funding of $235,746 for Covid-19 related research to develop an effective point-of-care test for the infectious disease.
Wednesday 15 April 2020
Plain packaging is making tobacco products less appealing and warning labels more noticeable, researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington, have found.
Wednesday 15 April 2020
The Government must impose tougher regulations on indoor firing ranges to keep shooters and their families safe from lead poisoning, says a public health researcher at the University of Otago, Wellington.
Friday 27 March 2020
In less than 48 hours, all people in New Zealand will have to self-isolate, unless they are essential service workers. This is our best chance to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Tuesday 24 March 2020
Professor Michael Baker on New Zealand’s coronavirus shutdown, and the challenging weeks ahead
Tuesday 24 March 2020
New Zealand must urgently build its capacity for COVID-19 case identification and contact tracing capacity, as the country goes into ‘lockdown’, Dr Ayesha Verrall, an infectious diseases doctor and epidemiologist at the University of Otago, Wellington, says.
Friday 20 March 2020
With some of the toughest border restrictions and a newly-announced NZ$500 million boost to health services, New Zealand is among a small number of countries with a strategy to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Friday 13 March 2020
New Zealand should follow the UK and more than 30 other countries in introducing a tax on sugary drinks to tackle obesity and reduce deaths from chronic diseases, leading researchers say.
Wednesday 11 March 2020
Parents researching childhood vaccinations online are likely to encounter significant levels of negative information, researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington, have found.
Monday 9 March 2020
While the world has been focused on Covid-19’s spread to new countries many might not have noticed that the outbreak in China is slowly being brought under control.
Wednesday 4 March 2020
New Zealand joined 48 other countries affected by the novel coronavirus last week when health authorities confirmed the first COVID-19 case.
Thursday 30 January 2020
Damp and mouldy housing has been included as an indicator of socioeconomic deprivation in New Zealand by University of Otago researchers developing the latest version of the New Zealand Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation (NZDep2018).
Wednesday 29 January 2020
Unlike armed conflict, here we are fighting an external threat to global health where collaboration and sharing of information benefits all nations.
Wednesday 29 January 2020
People who cycle to work have a lower risk of dying, a New Zealand study has found.
Monday 20 January 2020
Māori have poorer access to early diagnosis for some key cancers including breast and colorectal cancers though, this is not the case for all cancers and is not necessarily why more Māori are dying of cancer, new University of Otago research shows.
Friday 17 January 2020
Media reports on chronic pain are focusing on treatments involving opioids and cannabis at the expense of best practice non-drug treatments, researchers have found.
Monday 13 January 2020
Development of an innovative dietary supplement to combat diabetes with a natural extract derived from the dahlia plant has reached a second round of human trials, with volunteers required in the Wellington region.
Wednesday 18 December 2019
Welcome to the Summer 2019–2020 edition of He Kete Kōrero, with recent highlights from the Wellington campus.
Tuesday 17 December 2019
Governments worldwide need to create non-profit supply systems for tobacco and nicotine products because of their potential to cause significant and avoidable harm, researchers from the University of Otago say.
Monday 16 December 2019
The 1918 influenza pandemic in New Zealand resulted in thousands of fewer births, particularly in the 1919 year, largely because of miscarriages from influenza infection during pregnancy, researchers have found.
Tuesday 10 December 2019
Thirty University of Otago academics have been promoted to the position of professor this year.
Friday 6 December 2019
A swathe of the University of Otago Division of Health Science’s finest staff have been promoted to Associate Professor.
Friday 29 November 2019
Only 10 per cent of New Zealand websites selling vaping products require proof of age before purchase, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington, have found.
Tuesday 26 November 2019
The convenor of refreshed postgraduate qualifications in primary health care at the University of Otago, Wellington, has brought years of experience working as a field medic for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in such global hotspots as Afghanistan and Sierra Leone – as well as on-the-ground work in rural and urban New Zealand - to the task.
Thursday 21 November 2019
A symposium being held at the University of Otago, Wellington on Monday 25 November offers a chance to tackle some of life’s most fundamental questions, including the nature of reality and the meaning of life.
Thursday 14 November 2019
Increasing pressure on both public hospitals and hospices is resulting in more patients being “admitted-to-die” into aged residential care facilities (rest homes), which are not typically set up to provide specialist palliative care services.
Tuesday 5 November 2019
University of Otago researchers are the recipients of an inaugural Marsden Fund Council Award worth $3 million to investigate genetic predisposition to metabolic diseases like diabetes and gout among Pacific people.
Thursday 31 October 2019
The Health Research Council has awarded 23 University of Otago researchers $3.8 million in Career Development Awards.
Tuesday 29 October 2019
A shift towards the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives, particularly by young women, is associated with declining abortion rates in New Zealand, new research has found.
Tuesday 8 October 2019
A prominent neuroradiologist and nuclear medicine physician with a wealth of international experience has been named the new Dean of the University of Otago medical school.
Friday 4 October 2019
All academic staff in the Division of Health Sciences are eligible to apply for the Translational Research Grant.
Wednesday 2 October 2019
A cannabidiol gel has been shown to reduce epileptic seizures in children in a clinical trial conducted in New Zealand and Australia.
Tuesday 1 October 2019
New Zealand, Australia and Iceland could act as island refuges to save humanity from extinction in the event of a catastrophic global pandemic, researchers have found.
Monday 30 September 2019
In a new initiative, the University is celebrating its internationally acclaimed scholars by creating a prestigious new role - the Sesquicentennial Distinguished Chair (Poutoko Taiea).
Monday 23 September 2019
Patrons and workers continue to be exposed to hazardous tobacco smoke in bars, restaurants and cafés, despite legislation designed to protect them, researchers have found.
Monday 16 September 2019
New Zealand smokers overwhelmingly support removing the nicotine from cigarettes to make them less addictive, a national survey has found.
Tuesday 10 September 2019
Smokers are less likely to display packs of cigarettes and tobacco on tables at cafés and bars now that standardised packs with larger graphic health warnings have been introduced, according to a new study.
Monday 9 September 2019
The Spring 2019 edition of the University of Otago, Wellington newsletter
Monday 2 September 2019
The new interim National Director of Cancer Control, University of Otago academic Professor Diana Sarfati, believes lives will be saved as a result of the new National Cancer Action Plan.
Tuesday 20 August 2019
University of Otago cancer researchers are coming together in a new collaboration awarded a $2 million grant by the Cancer Society in a bid to better tackle a leading cause of death in New Zealand.
Friday 16 August 2019
New research from the University of Otago, Wellington, has shed light on the declining use of cannabis use by teens.
Thursday 15 August 2019
Almost 20 per cent of hospital admissions of young children with acute respiratory infections could be prevented if their houses were free from damp and mould, researchers have found.
Tuesday 13 August 2019
Moving house is linked with increases in emotional and behavioural difficulties in four-year-olds, with the problems compounding each time a family moves, researchers have found.
Friday 19 July 2019
New research about an old vaccine – one that has been in use for nearly 100 years – has not only shown how effective it is but also suggests it improves our immune response to a wider range of bacteria than originally intended.
Thursday 18 July 2019
Swapping short car trips for walking or biking could achieve as much health gain as ongoing tobacco tax increases, according to a study from the University of Otago, Wellington.
Monday 15 July 2019
Around one in six New Zealand adults have tried e-cigarettes but only 2 per cent are using them currently, a national survey has found.
Thursday 4 July 2019
Eliminating waiting times for cataract surgery would be a cost-effective health system intervention, largely driven by the falls prevention benefits related to improved vision, a just-published New Zealand study has found.
Thursday 27 June 2019
Beta blockers, smoking cessation, stress suppression in motherhood and synthetic cannabinoid signalling are just a few of the areas of University of Otago Division of Health Sciences research to receive a total of almost $35 million in funding this year from the Health Research Council.
Wednesday 26 June 2019
Climate change and its impact on people’s health and using DNA to help predict who may suffer heart failure are just two of many University of Otago-led research projects being funded this year by the Health Research Council to the tune of more than $40 million.
Tuesday 25 June 2019
A 10 per cent tax on sugary drinks has cut the purchase and consumption of sugary drinks by an average of 10 per cent in places it has been introduced, a just published major review shows.
Tuesday 18 June 2019
Smartphone apps and pain management websites could fill a significant gap in helping to support the one in five New Zealanders living with chronic or persistent pain, a pain researcher from the University of Otago, Wellington says.
Friday 14 June 2019
Requiring cigarettes to contain biodegradable filters, fining smokers who litter cigarette butts and expanding smoke free outdoor areas are measures the public considers are most likely to reduce tobacco product waste, new University of Otago research reveals.
Tuesday 11 June 2019
Researchers are warning that lead-based ammunition is posing a risk to firearms’ users and their families, with a culture of denial about the issue among the firearms community.
Friday 7 June 2019
A large quantitative research study has found using the terms ‘weight’ or ‘high BMI (body mass index)’ to describe excess fatness was rated as less stigmatising and less blaming than commonly used medical terms, such as ‘fat’ or ‘obese’.
Wednesday 22 May 2019
OPINION: Online comment from some local gun lobbyists after the Christchurch shooting bypassed sympathy and jumped straight to worries about government "taking our guns away". Despite such attitudes, firearm owners are happy for the rest of us to subsidise them through our taxes.
Friday 17 May 2019
Cats and farm animals are making their presence felt in classrooms, with allergens rubbing off children’s clothes and on to classroom carpets, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington have found.
Thursday 16 May 2019
An occupational therapist who aims to improve the quality of life for children with disabilities is one of several University of Otago early-stage researchers who have together been awarded more than $1.7 million in Health Research Council funding.
Thursday 9 May 2019
When Dr Kate Amore began researching homelessness for her PhD at the University of Otago, Wellington, the country was in denial that the issue was even a problem, she says.
Wednesday 1 May 2019
An Otago alumna has led a study into spinal surgery for children with cerebral palsy in the UK, which has proven it helps them walk and reduces pain, triggering the UK Government to fund the procedure.
Monday 29 April 2019
The authors of a University of Otago report on active transport say urgent steps must be taken to encourage New Zealanders to walk, cycle or take public transport, with our use of cars harming both our health and our environment.
Tuesday 23 April 2019
The Autumn 2019 edition of the University of Otago, Wellington newsletter
Tuesday 16 April 2019
New research has found that only three per cent of deaths in the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake occurred in people’s homes, almost all of which were at that time constructed from wood.
Tuesday 9 April 2019
Alongside funding and regulatory support, understanding how housing affects health and safety can spur owners to make improvements to their properties, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington and WISE Better Homes have found.
Monday 8 April 2019
You can view an introduction to a paper where Professor Louise Signal is a lead author. Her research used cameras on children to study their exposure to food marketing.
Wednesday 3 April 2019
University of Otago firearms researchers are encouraging New Zealanders who are not gun owners to support MPs and political parties with the Arms Amendment Bill.
Sunday 17 March 2019
Firearms law changes promised by the Prime Minister are long overdue, according to experts in the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, Dr Marie Russell and Dr Hera Cook.
Friday 15 March 2019
The University of Otago community stands shoulder to shoulder with the Muslim community. Following the tragic events in Christchurch last Friday, several events are being held on the Dunedin campus on Thursday, 21 March.
Tuesday 12 March 2019
New Zealand’s approach of allowing wide access to e-cigarettes is likely to be bringing overall health gains and cost savings for the health system, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington have found.
Friday 8 March 2019
Kiwi men who were veterans of World War II appear to have had a shorter lifespan than other New Zealand men who were born at the same time, new research shows.
Monday 25 February 2019
Preventable injuries and hospitalisations due solely to poor housing conditions in New Zealand could be costing more than $145 million annually in ACC claims and hospitalisation costs, according to new research.
Friday 22 February 2019
More than 20 per cent of the 54 railway stations in the lower North Island have no smokefree signs at all and many others have signs of poor quality, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington have found.
Thursday 21 February 2019
Listen to Professor Louise Signal, Director of the Health Promotion and Policy Research Unit, participate in a radio panel interview considering progress in addressing health inequities.
Monday 18 February 2019
New research from the Healthier Lives National Science Challenge has found people who speak te reo Māori have a reduced risk of progressing from pre-diabetes to diabetes.
Monday 11 February 2019
A three-year project aimed at pinpointing the most effective ways to prevent and control rheumatic fever and associated heart disease in New Zealand is being launched tomorrow (Tuesday 12 February) at the University of Otago, Wellington.
Thursday 31 January 2019
New Zealand is at a major crossroads in cancer care and the Cancer Society are calling on government to back a nationally-led, coordinated approach to cancer.
Tuesday 22 January 2019
A Hutt Valley District Health Board campaign to cut the number of urine tests being carried out on hospital patients not only significantly reduced the number of unnecessary tests being ordered but also lowered the level of antibiotic prescribing, a study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal has found.
Wednesday 9 January 2019
Caring for patients with two or more chronic diseases costs the health system more than it would to treat each disease in isolation, a new study has shown.
Tuesday 18 December 2018
The Summer 2018 edition of the University of Otago, Wellington newsletter
Monday 17 December 2018
Giving a probiotic supplement to pregnant mothers and their infants significantly reduces the chances of a child developing eczema for the first 11 years of their life, researchers have shown.
Friday 14 December 2018
Professors from the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington are calling on the government to set up a research fund to help prevent pandemics and increase New Zealand’s preparedness to deal with such disasters.
Monday 10 December 2018
He may be licensed to kill but fictional British secret service agent James Bond has a severe alcohol use disorder, according to an analysis of his drinking behaviour published in the Medical Journal of Australia’s Christmas issue.
Monday 3 December 2018
Researchers have shown for the first time that investing in cycle lanes and walkways encourages people to drive less and cuts carbon emissions.
Tuesday 20 November 2018
A University of Otago Christchurch engineer is developing a ‘lego’ system to 3D-bioprint bone; a solution that could one day replace the billions-of-dollars-worth of ceramic and titanium implants required by New Zealand patients annually.
Monday 19 November 2018
The Healthier Lives – He Oranga Hauora National Science Challenge, hosted by the University of Otago, welcomes the announcement from the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Hon Megan Woods, confirming funding for its 2019-2024 research strategy
Thursday 1 November 2018
Innovative camera research has revealed that New Zealand children are exposed to alcohol marketing in their residential and school neighbourhoods. The collaborative research by the Universities of Otago and Auckland, found children’s exposure to alcohol marketing was higher in neighbourhoods with greater numbers of alcohol outlets and for Māori participants.
Tuesday 30 October 2018
World War I cast such a long shadow over New Zealand that the health and social impacts continued through to the next generation, public health researchers say.
Monday 29 October 2018
Increasing the excise tax on alcohol would likely result in fewer people dying or being injured in vehicle crashes – and generate savings for society, according to a just-published New Zealand study.
Friday 26 October 2018
An alarming proportion of New Zealanders are neither wearing hats nor seeking shade to protect themselves from the sun, University of Otago research reveals.
Tuesday 23 October 2018
New research from ASPIRE2025, a University of Otago research theme, challenges tobacco companies’ claims they are working towards a smokefree world and suggests young people are vulnerable to tobacco companies’ product innovations.
Thursday 18 October 2018
University of Otago Research Fellow Helen Taylor’s science communication around conservation genetics and threatened species has earned her recognition at this year’s New Zealand Research Honours.
Friday 12 October 2018
A new University of Otago study is aiming to tackle why Māori men have abnormally higher rates of testicular cancer compared to their non-Māori counterparts.
Thursday 11 October 2018
Researchers are using World Obesity Day today to call for an end to the stigma which fat people experience in their daily lives.
Wednesday 3 October 2018
Primary school is the correct place to educate girls about periods and provide sanitary bins and pads, say University of Otago researchers.
Monday 17 September 2018
Otago scientists secure almost $1.6 million for heart research
Monday 3 September 2018
Unhealthy diet is the leading preventable risk for poor health in New Zealand. Diet-related diseases (and how we manage them) is becoming a pressing issue for the country.
Wednesday 29 August 2018
A University of Otago doctor and scientist is calling on New Zealand to be the first country in the world to eliminate tuberculosis (TB), the top infectious disease killer in the world.
Friday 24 August 2018
University of Otago researchers believe Government actions may be inconsistent with its tobacco treaty obligations by employing a consulting firm that has worked globally for the tobacco industry, to advise on tobacco taxation.
Friday 24 August 2018
The outlook for the one in five New Zealanders with persistent or chronic pain has the potential to be more positive according to an extensive study review by researchers from the School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) and Pain Management Service, Capital Coast District Health Board.
Thursday 9 August 2018
Closing the border may make sense for New Zealand in some extreme pandemic situations, according to a newly published study of the costs and benefits of taking this step.
Wednesday 1 August 2018
A University of Otago researcher has received funding from the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand to investigate a new therapy which could potentially prevent disorders developing in children born prematurely.
Tuesday 31 July 2018
Innovative camera research has revealed New Zealand children are exposed to alcohol marketing on average 4.5 times per day.
Thursday 26 July 2018
The Winter 2018 edition of the University of Otago, Wellington newsletter
Monday 9 July 2018
In comparing efforts to address health inequities, researchers in Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ) and the United States (US) have found that both countries are failing to align policy with evidence-based approaches that could help achieve equity.
Monday 9 July 2018
Junk food dominates New Zealand sport venues, according to new research led by the University of Otago, Wellington.
Monday 25 June 2018
Multimorbidity has a substantial impact on sufferers who report not only poorer health but also adverse impacts on their employment and financial wellbeing compared to the general population, new University of Otago research reveals.
Friday 22 June 2018
Although the incidence of stroke and mortality are declining due to better management strategies, stroke volumes are going up in New Zealand due to a growing and ageing population.
Friday 22 June 2018
A group of tobacco control experts today published an open letter in the New Zealand Medical Journal calling for bold new actions from the New Zealand Government to achieve the Smokefree 2025 goal.
Monday 18 June 2018
A new study investigating for the first time the health of occupants of leaky homes in New Zealand is one of many University of Otago-led projects being funded this year by the Health Research Council to the tune of almost $19 million.
Friday 1 June 2018
An open letter published today in a leading international medical journal, Lancet Oncology, calls on the World Health Organization (WHO) and Governments to prioritise health improvements for Indigenous peoples worldwide.
Wednesday 30 May 2018
University of Otago, Wellington researchers are advocating for standards to bring all New Zealand housing up to the World Health Organization minimum standard which recommends indoor temperature of 18 degrees celcius.
Monday 21 May 2018
Current health warning labels on alcohol beverage containers in New Zealand are highly deficient, new research from the University of Otago, Wellington shows.
Friday 18 May 2018
New University of Otago research highlights the difficulties for GPs of discussing obesity with patients who are overweight and signals the need for resources to support them and other community health providers in this role.
Thursday 17 May 2018
A researcher aiming to develop an early-detection genetic-based test for bowel cancer is one of several University of Otago researchers who have been awarded almost $1.5 million in Health Research Council funding.
Monday 14 May 2018
A team from the University of Otago, Wellington has just published a radical new framework for designing international trade and investment treaties.
Wednesday 9 May 2018
There are gaps between best practice and documented management of patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections in primary care, which may contribute to high rates of infection, new University of Otago research shows.
Thursday 3 May 2018
University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) researchers are leading a new collaborative study to find out why New Zealand breastfeeding rates are so low and even dropping.
Tuesday 1 May 2018
In a new study on children with severe forms of epilepsy, researchers have found the genetic copying mistake that causes the severe epilepsy in children can be found in their parents who do not have epilepsy.
Monday 30 April 2018
Two University of Otago researchers of Ngāpuhi descent are being rewarded with new prestigious four-year fellowships aimed at providing better health and well-being for Māori.
Friday 20 April 2018
In a New Zealand first, the University of Otago has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Tuesday 17 April 2018
New research has found that many New Zealand consumers are unaware of the high levels of Campylobacter contamination of fresh chicken and most want safety labelling about the risks on poultry products.
Tuesday 17 April 2018
The Autumn 2018 edition of the University of Otago, Wellington newsletter
Wednesday 4 April 2018
On 1 April 2018, the United Kingdom introduced a sugary drinks tax, an important public health measure that University of Otago, Wellington, public health researchers believe should be happening in New Zealand too.
Wednesday 28 March 2018
Yoghurt given to infants in the first year of life may protect them from developing eczema and allergy, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington, and the University of Auckland have found.
Monday 26 March 2018
University of Otago, Wellington hosts the Summer Studentship Programme each year. The Department of Medicine has had a number of students this summer participating in 10 week research projects.
Friday 23 March 2018
Can your local council stop you getting heart disease or cancer? Yes, say researchers in a new study led by the University of Otago, Wellington.
Thursday 22 March 2018
New Zealand children and teens growing up in smokefree homes are less likely to take up smoking, even if their parents are smokers, a University of Otago, Wellington, study has found.
Friday 9 March 2018
A new study on smoking trends among doctors and nurses in New Zealand finds smoking has declined steadily within these healthcare professions. Researchers say this shows that very low smoking rates can be achieved in large occupational groups, suggesting that New Zealand’s Smokefree 2025 goal is reachable.
Wednesday 7 March 2018
Dr Rebecca Grainger from the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington has been appointed Chair of the Research for Life’s Research Advisory Committee.
Friday 23 February 2018
A lack of support means many prisoners relapse back to smoking on release, despite many wanting to stay smokefree, a new study has found.
Tuesday 13 February 2018
Urgent and proactive action is needed to protect young people from the current mumps outbreak in New Zealand, says Dr Ayesha Verrall, an infectious diseases physician and researcher at the University of Otago, Wellington.
Wednesday 7 February 2018
University of Otago researchers are ready to take a significant step in the development of a new natural product that could potentially prevent diabetes.
Monday 5 February 2018
Leading international and New Zealand health experts will be in Wellington to participate in the 22nd Public Health Summer School run by the University of Otago, Wellington in February. The Public Health Summer School will be officially opened by the Minister of Health, Hon Dr David Clark on 7 February.
Friday 2 February 2018
New research has found that only a fifth (20 per cent) of childrens’ playgrounds in the lower North Island of New Zealand had drinking fountains (11 out of 54 playgrounds).
Wednesday 17 January 2018
Primary care physicians can improve their communication to newly-diagnosed diabetes patients by offering more information specific to the patient’s experience, new research from Otago, Auckland and Victoria universities shows.
Monday 15 January 2018
The Predator Free 2050 campaign to rid New Zealand of rats and possums will have major benefits for human health as well as for native plants and animals, says University of Otago, Wellington public health researcher Dr Mary McIntyre.
Tuesday 9 January 2018
Children visiting playgrounds this summer may be at high risk of sunburn, according to a new study from the University of Otago, Wellington.
Friday 15 December 2017
The University of Otago will this year promote 23 academics to the position of Professor across its Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington campuses.
Thursday 14 December 2017
In an article published today in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, New Zealand researchers found that Google laptop searches performed better at finding online sexual health advice than the digital assistants on smartphones.
Wednesday 13 December 2017
Firearms and public health, impacts of New Zealand’s most common natural hazard - flooding, and lessons from the 1918 flu pandemic are just some of the courses and seminar talks being offered by the University of Otago, Wellington’s Public Health Summer School.
Thursday 23 November 2017
New research has shown governments can help improve health in low and middle income countries, simply by providing cash to people living in poverty.
Thursday 9 November 2017
New Zealand children stick close to home, innovative research from Otago, Auckland and Harvard Universities has revealed.
Tuesday 7 November 2017
The Spring 2017 edition of the University of Otago, Wellington newsletter
Tuesday 31 October 2017
Four up–and–coming University of Otago researchers have each been awarded around $500,000 from the Health Research Council (HRC) to pursue world-class projects aimed at improving New Zealander’s health and wellbeing and contributing to international progress in these areas.
Tuesday 31 October 2017
New Zealanders who walk and cycle for transport are much more likely to have adequate levels of physical activity than those who drive cars.
Friday 27 October 2017
A survey of New Zealand racecourses and sports grounds with stands has found no smokefree signs at the racecourses and signage at less than half the sports grounds.
Thursday 19 October 2017
A new study from the University of Otago, Wellington, has found that only six per cent of Wellington City children’s playgrounds have drinking water fountains.
Tuesday 10 October 2017
New Zealand children are exposed to alcohol marketing on nearly every visit to the supermarket, innovative camera research from Otago and Auckland Universities reveals.
Monday 9 October 2017
New Zealand children are exposed to around 27 unhealthy food advertisements per day, innovative camera research from Otago and Auckland Universities reveals.
Friday 6 October 2017
Surgical admissions for people with abdominal pain to Wellington Hospital’s department of general surgery have nearly doubled over the past decade, a University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) study has found.
Wednesday 4 October 2017
Overall today’s adolescents are ‘better behaved’ than teens in the 1990s, says a University of Otago, Wellington researcher.
Friday 22 September 2017
A comprehensive survey in the lower North Island and South Island has revealed that general practices, although crucial for teaching our future health professionals, are at training capacity.
Friday 22 September 2017
Local outdoor smokefree action is rapidly growing around New Zealand, according to new research from the University of Otago, Wellington.
Tuesday 19 September 2017
A new book sets out important ideas for helping New Zealand cities resolve the challenges of providing quality, affordable housing, designing healthy transport systems and dealing with climate change.
Monday 18 September 2017
A University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) team has been awarded an MBIE Endeavour grant this week to develop a non-invasive and cost-effective device to diagnose and treat stroke and other brain injuries.
Wednesday 13 September 2017
Professor Tony Dowell from the Department of Primary Health Care & General Practice was recently interviewed as part of the RNZ Insight Programme, entitled "NZ’s Mental Health at Breaking Point?"
Friday 8 September 2017
A Healthier Lives National Science Challenge study using New Zealand linked datasets reveals the impact of residential housing damage from the 2010/11 Canterbury earthquakes on hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease.
Thursday 7 September 2017
Researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) have shown that leaking and mouldy homes may lead to the development of a first attack of asthma in young children living in them.
Monday 28 August 2017
A team of researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington has just launched a unique on-line eLearning module to provide realistic and practical guidance for clinicians working with spoken language interpreters in primary health care.
Thursday 24 August 2017
A new study of the smokefree signs at 63 New Zealand playgrounds has found that less than half of the playgrounds (44 per cent) had any such signs. Even when present, many of the signs were small and poorly designed, with some being only postcard sized.
Monday 21 August 2017
A new study from the University of Otago, Wellington has found New Zealand’s Quitline service is a highly cost-effective way to improve health and even saves the health system money.
Friday 11 August 2017
A study using ‘big data’ has found that childhood respiratory illnesses, especially during the first two years of life, have a big impact on New Zealand primary care general practice (GP) workloads.
Friday 4 August 2017
A new study shows most New Zealand obstetric providers need more support when providing a revolutionary genetic prenatal screening test because of its complexity and because it is not publicly funded.
Wednesday 2 August 2017
Smokefree 2025 will be Smokefree 2065 unless urgent government action is taken.
Monday 31 July 2017
A unique centre that will forge new links between health researchers and clinicians, working on solutions for complex diseases such as diabetes, obesity and stroke, is being launched at the University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) this week.
Wednesday 26 July 2017
The Winter 2017 edition of the University of Otago, Wellington newsletter
Thursday 20 July 2017
Bowel-cancer screening in New Zealand will improve health cost effectively, according to University of Otago research just published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
Friday 7 July 2017
New evidence shows one in five children continue to be exposed to smoking in cars, and that exposure even increased in 2015.
Thursday 29 June 2017
Researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) are seeking 20 men from different ethnic backgrounds for a study to find out how well people of different body shapes and different ethnicities respond to a weight loss diet.
Thursday 29 June 2017
New modelling research has shown the major ways for reducing smoking on the path to New Zealand’s smokefree goal by 2025. University of Otago, Wellington researchers are calling for these new measures to be considered by the New Zealand Government.
Monday 26 June 2017
It may sometimes make sense for island nations like New Zealand to temporarily close their borders in extreme pandemic situations, a new study by Wellington researchers suggests.
Tuesday 20 June 2017
Drug-safety regulators and manufacturers need to take urgent action over serious adverse effects of the valuable antipsychotic drug clozapine, a new study shows.
Thursday 15 June 2017
University of Otago researchers have been awarded more than $24M in new health research funding to support their world-class studies aimed at improving New Zealanders’ health and well-being.
Friday 9 June 2017
New research from the University of Otago, Wellington, shows that influenza kills about 500 New Zealanders each year, and the risk of premature death is much higher for Māori, Pasifika, men and those living in relative poverty.
Tuesday 6 June 2017
Not all good policies, in isolation, lead to an overall good outcome. Interactions and linkages between policies are what will lead us towards a more sustainable world, according to a new International Council for Science (ICSU) report.
Thursday 25 May 2017
The first ever Class 1 clinical trial of the drug cannabidiol has shown it is effective at reducing convulsive seizures in a severe type of epilepsy in children.
Wednesday 24 May 2017
Researchers from New Zealand and Australia have claimed that a standard practice used in psychiatry may be ineffective and violate international human rights conventions.
Thursday 18 May 2017
The Autumn 2017 edition of the University of Otago, Wellington newsletter.
Friday 12 May 2017
Living with multiple health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, is a challenge for increasing numbers of New Zealanders. New research led by the University of Otago, Wellington, has identified issues and improvements needed in the health care system to help patients with multimorbidity (multiple health conditions), their supporters and health care providers.
Thursday 13 April 2017
Poor communication between clinicians can turn health care into a bad experience. The University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) is turning this around through an interprofessional education (IPE) programme introduced in recent years for students across the disciplines – dietetics, medicine, physiotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Tuesday 4 April 2017
Research led by the University of Otago, Wellington has found that a ‘home-grown’ naturally occurring probiotic reduces the risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) and lowers fasting blood sugar.
Thursday 30 March 2017
Several University of Otago researchers have gained feasibility grants from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) in its latest funding round. The HRC yesterday announced a combined total of $2 million worth of these grants, up from $1.05 million in 2016.
Thursday 30 March 2017
Progress towards smokefree inner cities in New Zealand requires specific policies for places like building entrances, family areas, public seating, outdoor dining and for city events, say researchers.
Tuesday 21 March 2017
New evidence from the University of Otago, Wellington shows that government social investment in safer housing would be justified to prevent falls.
Friday 17 March 2017
Getting teenagers more active and how our gut hormones impact on obesity are just two of a wide range of topics being discussed at a major gathering of top national and international researchers at Auckland City Hospital today.
Wednesday 15 March 2017
The University of Otago has reconfigured the line-up of its flagship research centres after a rigorous evaluation process.
Thursday 9 March 2017
University of Otago researchers have gained more than $2.6m in funding from the Lottery Grants Board to support studies aimed at improving the health status of New Zealanders.
Thursday 2 March 2017
Fewer New Zealanders are now dying in large-scale disaster events but that is not the case across the Tasman, a University of Otago, Wellington study has found.
