Select Page

School of Medical Sciences

Keep up to date with all the latest news and information from the School of Medical Sciences.

Message from the Head of School

Kia ora tatou

As Semester 1 draws to a close, I want to take a moment to extend my thanks and appreciation to our incredible PTFs, teaching teams and professional staff. We recognise that this semester has brought more than its fair share of challenges. Reduced resources, tighter budgets, and added pressures have made your already demanding roles even more complex. And yet, through it all, you continue to show up, adapt, and deliver—often going above and beyond to ensure that students receive the quality education and support they need. Thank you!

There have also been many reasons to celebrate over recent months. At the May graduation ceremony, our Bachelor of Medical Imaging (Hons) students were recognised with a special event in the Atrium (check out the photos in our newsletter). We also marked the graduation of 19 Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Hons) students, all with First class Honours, along with 9 Master of Biomedical Science students, 8 of whom achieved First Class Honours. Additionally, 5 PhD students from our school celebrated their graduation.

A special congratulations to Associate Professor Mark Thomas (MMP), who was appointed to a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours. His recognition for services to people living with HIV/AIDS and antibiotic research is richly deserved -it’s wonderful to see his achievements and service acknowledged.

For more news about some of the fabulous people in our School check out the blogs in the newsletter.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Clare

Staff success

Staff success

Professor Julian Paton, Director of Manaaki Manawa, the Centre for Heart Research and Professor of Translational Physiology, Department of Physiology, has won the inaugural Geoffrey Burnstock Memorial lecture gifted from the American Autonomic Society.

Staff success

Staff success

A breakthrough study, led by Associate Professor Chris Hall, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology and his lab group, has uncovered how daylight can boost the immune system’s ability to fight infections.

New PhD student

New PhD student

We welcome Noah Papali, a PhD student from the Auckland Cancer Research Centre.

High impact papers

High impact papers

The brain doesn’t just think. It moves, subtly pulsing with every heartbeat.

New staff

New staff

We welcome Claire Heffernan, a Professional Teaching Fellow from the Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging who has joined the Faculty and the Cardiac Ultrasound team.

PhD success

PhD success

Please join me in congratulating Hossein Jahedi, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology for successfully defending his PhD thesis.