Health Sciences at Otago

18/09/2026

17/09/2026

Don’t miss this webinar detailing Otago’s Digital Health programmes 📣

Offering both a postgraduate certificate and postgraduate diploma in Digital Health, Otago’s courses are fully online, designed for working professionals, and combine flexible study arrangements with practical industry learning 😎

Taking place on Thursday 24 September, from 7:30-8:30pm, this session will explain how digital health is transforming the way healthcare is delivered across Aotearoa New Zealand 🇳🇿

Register here: https://events.otago.ac.nz/dig.../registration/Site/Register

Programme details here: otago.ac.nz/digitalhealth

16/09/2026

After more than 40 years of dedication to academia, Emeritus Professor John Broughton has passed away this week.

John served as a pillar of the community, even in retirement, as he continued contributing to the University in a variety of ways, including providing a welcome at almost every graduation ceremony.

Among his many achievements as a Professor in the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine and Associate Dean Māori for the School of Dentistry, John introduced the hauora Māori curriculum into health professional courses, and served as the inaugural Director of the Ngāi Tahu Māori Health Research Unit.

Vice-Chancellor Grant Robertson says Professor Broughton’s immense contribution will forever live on in the students he taught, the research he pioneered, and the knowledge he imparted.

“The many gifts he had, he shared with intelligence and grace, enhancing our collective understanding and contributing to a better Aotearoa. The ora John planted will continue to bloom, as it was sown in every clinician who benefited from his mahi. We will miss him greatly.”

The University of Otago - Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka notes with great sadness the passing of Emeritus Professor John Broughton CNZM (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu Ki Heretaunga) yesterday.

15/09/2026

Hear from Biomedical Research Facility Manager, Scott Rhodes, as to how their skilled workforce operates a national asset which gained accreditation from the Ministry of Primary Industries after it’s very first inspection 😎

Go behind the scenes at the University of Otago's Biomedical Resear...

14/09/2026

This Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, He Rau Kawakawa (School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology) is hosting tours of the newly established rokoā garden, Te Korowai o Papatūānuku 😍

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn about rokoā rākau and how this outdoor student learning space was established 🌳

The 30-minute tour of the garden will be taking place this Thursday at 1pm, 1:30pm, and 2pm 😎

No need to register for this free event, just grab a mate and join the team outside the Adams Building (18 Frederick Street) for this opportunity to connect with local and loved whenua 💚

14/09/2026

Congratulations to the nine researchers and one research group recently honoured with Otago Research Awards 👏

Vice-Chancellor Hon Grant Robertson says the annual awards celebrate the extraordinary contributions Otago researchers make to communities in Aotearoa and around the world 🇳🇿 🌍

“I congratulate this year’s recipients who reflect the very best of Otago. Through their curiosity, innovation and commitment to improving lives, they are helping address some of society’s most significant challenges,” Grant says.

Ngā mihi nui to the following recipients:

➡️ Rowheath Trust Award and Carl Smith Medal: Associate Professor Christina Ergler - School of Geography (Dunedin).
➡️ Distinguished Research Medal: Professor Anna Ranta - Department of Medicine (Wellington).
➡️ Māori Early Career Award for Distinction in Research: Dr Hitaua Arahanga-Doyle - Department of Psychology (Dunedin).
➡️ Tofā Sāili Pacific Early Career Award for Distinction in Research: Dr Maiono Jekope Ramala - Department of Management (Dunedin).
➡️ Research Group Award: Professor Andrew Tawse-Smith, and Senior Lecturers Hanna Olson and Samuel Carrington (Dunedin).
Early Career Award for Distinction in Research:
➡️ Dr Nicholas Bowden from the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dunedin).
➡️ Dr Elinor Chisholm from the Department of Public Health (Wellington).
➡️ Dr Kathryn Hally from the Department of Surgery and Critical Care (Wellington).
➡️ Dr Leah Smith from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology (Dunedin).
➡️ Dr Ana Stojanov from the Department of Psychology (Dunedin).

From improving health outcomes and strengthening communities to exploring the frontiers of science and technology, University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka researchers are making an impact in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.

14/09/2026

13/09/2026

The Faculty of Dentistry’s Sustainable Working Group has been implementing a variety of initiatives over the past year as part of a new sustainability strategy 🪴

As Aotearoa New Zealand’s only dental school, kaimahi wanted to play their part in ensuring their historic institution reduces the environmental footprint of its clinical and teaching activities, including considering the amount of waste and carbon emissions being produced, and water and chemical use 👣

Chair of the working group Associate Professor Carolina Loch says the team came together with a shared sense of wanting to educate staff and students on sustainability practices 😎

“We knew we wanted to be at the forefront of research and innovation in sustainable dentistry, reduce costs, and increase efficiencies in how we operate” Carolina says.

“Once we made sure our aspirations aligned with the University of Otago’s Tī Kōuka sustainability framework and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and we had collected important baseline data on how we were doing, we were able to identify areas of improvement beginning with low-cost-high-impact ideas.”

Over the past year, the Faculty of Dentistry’s Sustainable Working Group started implementing a variety of initiatives as part of a new sustainability strategy.