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The Faculty of Medicine is comprised of eight "core" departments, which are represented on the campuses of Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington. The Faculty of Health Professional Programmes has a presence on each of those campuses, and the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences is solely represented on the Dunedin Campus.

  • Dunedin Campus
    • Faculty of Medicine – Dunedin (FoM-D)
      • 8 core departments + 1 region-specific department
    • Faculty of Health Professional Programmes (FHPP)
    • Faculty of Biomedical Sciences (BMS)
    • Faculty of Dentistry
  • University of Otago, Christchurch
    • Faculty of Medicine – Christchurch (FoM-C)
      • 8 core departments + 2 region-specific departments
    • Faculty of Health Professional Programmes (Department of Nursing)
  • University of Otago, Wellington
    • Faculty of Medicine – Wellington (FoM-W)
      • 8 core departments
    • Faculty of Health Professional Programmes (Department of Radiation Therapy)

After completing Health Sciences First Year (or gaining entry via an alternative pathway), all second- and third-year medical students are taught on the Dunedin campus by BMS, FoM-D and FHPP staff.

The following names are no longer used:

  • Dunedin School of Medicine (DSM)
  • Christchurch School of Medicine
  • Wellington School of Medicine
  • Otago Medical School (OMS)

References to Faculty of Medicine core departments on the website

To specify region when referring to the core FoM departments on the website, the following style is used:

Department of Public Health, Dunedin

Where to use:

  1. In headings and links where only the name is used or the name features at the end.
    e.g.  Our people in the Department of Public Health, Dunedin
  2. At the end of sentences without clauses separated by commas.
    e.g. You can find supervisors for a range of research topics in the Department of Public Health, Dunedin.

Department of Public Health (Dunedin)

Where to use:

  1. In sentences which include clauses separated by commas or where the name appears at the start or in the middle of the sentence.
    e.g. As of Septermber 1 2025, the Department of Preventive and Social Health was renamed the Department of Public Health (Dunedin) and is a core department of the Faculty of Medicine.
  2. For 'group' links on the HS staff expertise database (as is the existing convention on the database).

Note that the above versions are not the official name; this usage is to help clarify information for users of the website. So, it's not essential to include the region at all times. For instance, in postal address contact details or where the location has already been mentioned in the same section of content on a page.

Note also that there are region-specific departments, e.g. Department of Nursing. These do not include the region in the name on the website.

About the Writing Style Guide

This guide is designed to help ensure writing style – whether for internal or external audiences, written for print or online – is consistent and maintains a professional standard across the University. It is not designed for academic writing.

Feedback

Please send any feedback – including reports of errors or requests for changes – to writing.style@otago.ac.nz

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