Asia-Pacific Biocultural Health, a University of Otago Research Theme, is investigating the implications of our past on human health today.
Steering committee members
Professor Siân Halcrow
Department of Anatomy
Co-director, and research interests in infant and child health and disease in prehistoric Southeast Asia.
Professor Hallie Buckley
Department of Anatomy
Co-director, and research interests in palaeopathology in New Zealand, the Pacific, and Southeast Asia.
Professor Tony Merriman
Department of Biochemistry
Research interests in genetic and environmental causes of gout in New Zealand and the Pacific.
Mr Tuari Potiki
Office of Māori Development
Cultural advisor.
Faumuina Professor Fa'afetai Sopoaga
Associate Dean Pacific, Division of Health Sciences
Cultural advisor.
Principal investigators
Professor Jonathan Broadbent
Department of Oral Rehabilitation
Natural history of dental disease and health with particular interest in social disparities on oral health.
Professor John Broughton
Departments of Oral Diagnostics and Surgical Sciences, and Social and Preventive Medicine
Oranga niho (Māori oral health).
Professor Greg Cook
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
How microorganisms adapt to new environments (eg Mycobacterium tuberculosis)
Professor Bernadette Drummond
Department of Oral Sciences
Child dental enamel defects and oral pathology in New Zealand.
Associate Professor Ruth Fitzgerald
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Aotearoa clinical anthropology and oral health.
Dr Susan Heydon
School of Pharmacy
Social pharmacy: medicines and society in developed and developing countries.
Professor Charles Higham
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Cultural change and social inequality in prehistoric Southeast Asia.
Dr Susan Jack
Centre for International Health
Child health and nutrition; effectiveness of interventions—Aotearoa, Asia and Pacific.
Associate Professor Michael Knapp
Department of Anatomy
Evolution of infectious disease in animals and humans from New Zealand.
Associate Professor Jacqui Leckie
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Asian and Pacific anthropology and history; diaspora studies; colonial psychiatry; medical history; gender; ethnicity; development studies; anthropology of work.
Professor Lisa Matisoo-Smith
Department of Anatomy
Colonisation of New Zealand and the Pacific, and the evolution of disease.
Professor Tony Merriman
Department of Biochemistry
Genetic and environmental causes of gout in New Zealand and the Pacific.
Professor Lisa Stamp
Department of Medicine, Christchurch
Rheumatic diseases, in particular rheumatoid arthritis and gout.
Associate Professor Claudine Stirling
Department of Chemistry
Isotopic analyses of elements for the reconstruction of life history of diet and migration in the past.
Professor Glenn Summerhayes
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Archaeology of Papua New Guinea and the western Pacific.
Professor Richard Walter
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Archaeological research into the origins of Pacific cultural diversity, and the development of indigenous Pacific societies.
Professor Angela Wanhalla
Department of History and Art History
Māori health and women's experiences.
Associate investigators
Dr Htin Lin Aung
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Next-generation sequencing, diagnostic microbiology, molecular microbiology, structural biology.
Anna-Claire Barker
Department of Anatomy
Anna-Claire is an honours student quantifying the dental enamel defects of a prehistoric Tongan sample.
Dr Angela Clark
Department of Anatomy
Sex-specific health in prehistoric Southeast Asia.
Professor John Crump
Centre for International Health
International health: infectious diseases, medical microbiology, epidemiology, ethics.
Neha Dhavale
Department of Anatomy
PhD candidate studying health and social status in prehistoric Southeast Asia.
Associate Professor Kate Domett
James Cook University
Australian-based contact for Southeast Asian prehistoric health and trauma research.
Jill Drake
Department of Medicine, Christchurch
Gout research in New Zealand.
Gail Elliott
Department of Anatomy
Gail is a PhD candidate investigating growth as an indicator of health during the prehistoric agricultural revolution in northern Chile. (Gail, back left, photographed in Chile with colleagues)
Helen Gilmore
Departments of Anthropology and Archaeology
Helen's PhD explored a comparative ethnographic study of bioarchaeological practices in Aotearoa New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Dr Anna Gosling
Postdoctoral Scholar in the Human Genetics department at the University of Chicago
Anna's interests are human genetic adaptation and the evolution of disease in the Asia-Pacific region.
Karen Greig
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Karen's doctoral thesis investigated archaeology, ancient DNA and dogs in Remote Oceania. She is currently a research fellow with Southern Pacific Archaeological Research.
Dr Ian Griffin
Director, Otago Museum
Liaison with Otago Museum, and science communication.
Professor Philip Hill
Centre for International Health
International health.
Dr Charlotte King
Department of Anatomy
Rutherford Postdoctoral Fellow investigating migration and diet in prehistoric Southeast Asia.
Edana Lord
Department of Anatomy
Edana's master's is investigating mitochondrial genomes of pre-Columbian guinea pigs.
Dr Sue McAllister
Centre for International Health
Dr McAllister works in international health and is currently researching Tuberculosis in Indonesia.
Losa Moata'ane
Department of Public Health, Wellington
PhD candidate studying inequalities and health in Pacific Communities.
Jaye Moors
Department of Biochemistry
PhD candidate investigating metabolic disease in Polynesian peoples.
Associate Professor Marc Oxenham
Australian National University
Australian-based contact for Southeast Asian prehistoric health and disease.
Ruth Page
Department of Anatomy
Ruth is currently applying for doctoral study exploring sex and health in ancient China.
Dr Matthew Schmidt
Heritage New Zealand
Heritage New Zealand contact for Otago regional archaeology.
Dr Rachel Scott
Department of Anatomy
Assistant Research Fellow investigating diet in ancient Chile using dental microwear analysis.
Christina Stantis
Department of Anatomy
PhD candidate studying diet and nutrition in the Pacific, particularly Western Polynesia.
Dr Kate Thomas
Centre for International Health
Dr Thomas investigates hazards associated with zoonotic enteric pathogens in emerging livestock systems (HAZEL project).
Dr Monica Tromp
Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, and Affiliate Researcher, Department of Anatomy
Monica is a Postdoctoral researcher investigating the relationship between plants and people, especially as they relate to migration, diet and health during the Austronesian expansion into the Pacific.
Maya Turner
Department of Anatomy
Maya is an honours student studying the ethics of 3D printing human remains from the perspective of Māori and archaeologists.
Stacey Ward
Department of Anatomy
PhD candidate investigating health and social status in prehistoric Southeast Asia.
Dr Anna Willis
Australian National University
Anna completed her doctoral study on the bioarchaeology of An Son and Hòa Diêm giving biosocial insights into prehistoric Southern Vietnam.
Dr Lynda Wixon
Practicing dentist and member of the New Zealand Society of Forensic Odontology
Postgraduate student studying prehistoric Māori periodontal health.