RESEARCH REPORT 2007-2008 DIVISION OF HEALTH SCIENCES (NZ) 0800 80 80 98 | www.otago.ac.nz | txt 866 | [email protected] RESEARCH REPORT 2OO7-2OO8 DIVISION OF HEALTH SCIENCES Cover photo: Professor Mark Richards of the Christchurch Cardioendocrine Research Group, Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch. Professor Richards was the recipient of the 2008 University of Otago’s Distinguished Research Medal, and the Royal Society of New Zealand’s 2008 Sir Charles Hercus Medal for excellence in biomedical and health sciences. Division of HEALTH sCiEnCEs 1 FROM THE PRO VICE-CHANCELLOR It is a great pleasure to present this report of the research activities of the Division of Health Sciences for 2007-2008. The Division of Health Sciences at the University of Otago is a research intensive Division, and the past two years have been yet another exciting period of high activity and growth. Researchers within the Division continue to be very successful in securing research funding in what is becoming an increasingly competitive environment. Our researchers attracted over $120 million of external funding in 2007 and 2008: the annual research income within the Division has doubled in the last 5 years. Major grants during 2007 and 2008 were awarded for projects aimed at preventing and treating conditions that affect the lives of many New Zealanders including heart disease, cancer, mental health disorders, diabetes, obesity, neurodegenerative disorders and other chronic conditions. Health inequalities research also attracted substantial funding. Our researchers continue to publish extensively, with many articles appearing in the world’s most prestigious journals. The Division is also particularly encouraged by the increasing number of students attracted into its postgraduate programs. This trend not only reflects the high quality of the postgraduate programs we offer but also the excellent international reputations of our top researchers and teachers. A number of these were honoured with prestigious awards during 2007-2008 in recognition of their outstanding research contributions. We are very pleased that we are able to continually attract so many high-calibre researchers to the University, and to further secure our reputation as an internationally recognised centre of excellence. As an example, during the past two years, the University of Otago’s Leading Thinkers initiative has established four more new high profile research positions within the Division. The Division is proud to host a number of world-renowned research groups and centres. Examples are the Cancer Genetics Laboratory, the Centre for Neuroendocrinology, the Christchurch Cardioendocrine Research Group, the Virus Research Unit, the Injury Prevention Research Unit (IPRU), He Kainga Oranga – the Housing and Health Research Programme, and the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit (DMHDRU). Translation of research from the bench to clinical application is essential, and our researchers are highly regarded for their expertise as it applies to problems of high national relevance. Tangible benefits can be seen, for example, in the areas of health education, primary health care, healthy housing, mental health, inequality research, oral health, delivery of pharmaceutical agents, monitoring of medication use, rehabilitation, screening programmes for stomach cancer, preventive and/or treatment measures for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and childhood eczema. Ground-breaking scientific advances continue in the fields of cancer genetics, the neurosciences, infectious diseases, oral health, reproductive biology, and structural biology. Researchers in the Division collaborate widely nationally and internationally, resulting in synergistic relationships between basic scientists and clinicians, and with partners in applied research and commercial settings. The underfunding of health research in New Zealand is a major challenge facing the Division. One of the major roles of the Division is the training of New Zealand’s expanding health workforce. Research informs our teaching across all aspects of health professional training. For New Zealand to continue to be at the forefront of health research and training and to be internationally competitive in this environment, it is vital that there is significant further investment in health research funding within New Zealand. The successes reported here reflect the Division’s commitment to research excellence. The report provides an overview of the research accomplishments of a large number of very able and dedicated people who strive to better the health of our community, and who work to address the needs of its most vulnerable and at risk members. I thank all in the Division of Health Sciences for their valuable contributions to what has been a period of significant growth and achievement. Don Roberton Pro Vice-Chancellor Division of Health Sciences University of Otago 2 REsEARCH REPoRT 2007/2008 CONTENTS FROM THE PRO-VICE CHANCELLOR 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 NOTES ON HOW THESE DATA ARE PRESENTED 6 THE DIVISION AT A GLANCE 7 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS 2007-2008 9 RESEARCH THEMES AND CENTRES 14 MÄORI HEALTH RESEARCH 30 FACULTY OF DENTISTRY 32 Department of Oral Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences 32 Department of Oral Rehabilitation 34 Department of Oral Sciences 35 FACULTY OF MEDICINE 38 OTAGO SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES 38 Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology 38 Department of Biochemistry 42 Department of Microbiology and Immunology 46 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology 49 Department of Physiology 51 DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 54 Department of General Practice 54 Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences 55 Anaesthesia and Intensive Care 55 Bioethics 55 Medicine 57 Ophthalmology 59 Orthopaedic Surgery 60 Surgery 61 Department of Pathology 63 Department of Preventive and Social Medicine 65 Department of Psychological Medicine 69 Department of Women’s and Children’s Health 70 UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO, CHRISTCHURCH 73 Department of Anaesthesia 73 Department of Medicine 73 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 77 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Musculoskeletal Medicine 78 Department of Paediatrics 80 Department of Pathology 81 Department of Psychological Medicine 84 Department of Public Health and General Practice 87 Department of Radiology 88 Department of Surgery 89 Centre for Postgraduate Nursing Studies 90 UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO, WELLINGTON 92 Department of Medicine 92 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 94 Department of Paediatrics and Child Health 94 Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine 96 Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice 97 Department of Psychological Medicine 99 Department of Public Health 100 Department of Radiation Therapy 104 Department of Surgery and Anaesthesia 104 Division of HEALTH sCiEnCEs 3 SCHOOL OF PHARMACY 106 SCHOOL OF PHYSIOTHERAPY 109 COMMERCIALISATION 111 COLLABORATIONS WITH EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS 112 RESEARCH SUPPORT SERVICES 114 RESEARCH OFFICE 118 APPENDIX 1: PUBLICATIONS BY DEPARTMENT FOR 2007 119 APPENDIX 2: PUBLICATIONS BY DEPARTMENT FOR 2008 185 APPENDIX 3: DIVISIONAL ORGANISATIONAL CHART 239 From left: Dr Greg Jones, Associate Professor Tony Merriman and Dr Rebecca Roberts are researching the underlying genetics of common chronic conditions. 4 REsEARCH REPoRT 2007/2008 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • The Division of Health Sciences is a research intensive Division with the highest overall annual research income within the University. • The Division incorporates three campuses (Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington) and comprises the following Schools and Faculties: Faculty of Dentistry Faculty of Medicine Otago School of Medical Sciences Dunedin School of Medicine University of Otago, Christchurch University of Otago, Wellington School of Pharmacy School of Physiotherapy A chart showing the organisational structure of the Division of Health Sciences is provided as Appendix 4. • The University of Otago has established 13 Research Themes and 14 Research Centres for which the University is pre- eminent and to which it gives particular recognition and support. Researchers within the Division of Health Sciences are leaders of 9 of the Research Themes and 9 of the Research Centres. • All Schools and Faculties have a strong research focus as evidenced by their successes in securing external income, their increasing numbers of postgraduate students, their high quality research outputs, and the many and varied honours and scholarships awarded to their staff and students. Details are provided for each School and Faculty in the following sections. • The Division strongly encourages and supports the commercialisation of research results. Commercialisation activities include contract research, patents and licensing, and spin out companies. • The Division has many diverse and valuable collaborations and affiliations with organisations external to the University of Otago. National and international connectivity and their associated benefits (e.g. co-funding opportunities, access to equipment, technologies and expertise) are viewed as crucial aspects of the Division’s research endeavours. • The Division boasts extensive research support services including state-of-the-art research facilities and equipment, training opportunities, and staff expertise. • The Division operates a Research Committee which is responsible for the dissemination of fellowships and funding as well as having a mentoring role for researchers. Research in the Division