Kia ora kotou

Well what a year 2020 has been.

As we prepare for the Christmas holidays, and hopefully a better year in 2021, I think we can all reflect on a job well down amongst the extraordinary backdrop of a worldwide pandemic.

I think everyone should be extremely proud of the fact that we delivered our courses and that our students were given the chance to able to complete their studies. In particular, I would like to thank our team of Professional Teaching Fellows who lead the transition to online teaching and who often acted as the front line of interaction with students stressed by the COVID lock down.

After the first lockdown the majority of research programmes, including postgraduate student research projects, were able to recommence due to the efforts of floor laboratory managers teams to ensure the safety of staff and students. Their efforts were complement by our hard working FIRST team who have been liaising with our funders to process the multiple variations to grants required to keep our research engine running. Finally, on your behalf, I would like to personally thank your Heads of Departments for their leadership throughout 2020. Leading a School as large and diverse as Medical Sciences is under normal circumstances a challenging role, but in 2020 the burden was carried by all in the School executive and I thank them all for their support.

Still despite all the chaos that was 2020 life still went on. Members of the School were successful in securing recognition for their teaching and research as has well been documented over the year in the newsletter. We were able to hold the inaugural lectures to celebrate our new Professors Bob Anderson, Alan Davidson and Clare Wall. On that note, it gives me great pleasure to end the year by congratulating those members of the School who were promoted.

To Professor

Thomas Proft – Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology

To Associate Professor

Nikki Moreland – Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology

Jack Flanagan – Pharmacology

To Senior Lecturer over the bar

Andrea Braakhuis – Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics

Troy Merry – Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics

Simon O’Carroll – Anatomy & Medical Imaging

To Senior Lecturer

Rajshri Roy – Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics

To Professional Teaching Fellow 4

Julia Sekula – Discipline of Nutrition and Dietetics

To Professional Teaching Fellow 3

Seb Barfoot- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging

Nishani Lim – Department of Physiology

To Senior Research Fellow over the bar

Annette Lashman – Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology

To Senior Research Fellow

Victor Dieriks – Department of Anatomy & Medical Imaging

Jiney Jose- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre

Thomas Park – Department of Pharmacology

Guido Wassink – Department of Physiology

So in closing, once again thank you to all staff and students in the School for their efforts during a very difficult year. Make sure you enjoy the holiday season and come back in 2021 refreshed, energised and ready to tackle whatever 2021 may throw at us.

Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia

Paul