The backgrounds of the academic staff provide a variety of perspectives in the humanities and health, which helps students to reflect on current ethical issues in medicine, biology, health care, and the broader issues of environmental ethics.
Centre staff are also responsible for teaching one of the most extensive programs in medical ethics of any medical school in the world, and also ethics courses in pharmacy, physiotherapy, oral health, and midwifery.
Academic staff
Staff are available for consultation, particularly on matters relating to their research interests.
Dr Lynley Anderson – Professor
Ethics in sports medicine, reproductive ethics, clinical bioethics, professional development, codes of ethics.
Tel +64 3 471 6132
Email lynley.anderson@otago.ac.nz
Dr Angela Ballantyne – Associate Professor
Global health policy and justice, ethical frameworks in research, genetics and ethics.
Tel +64 4 918 5090
Email angela.ballantyne@otago.ac.nz
Dr Sarah Bush – Professional Practice Fellow
Public health ethics, bioethics and health law.
Email sarah.bush@otago.ac.nz
Ms Alison Douglass – Honorary Senior Lecturer
Clinical ethics, research ethics, mental capacity, assisted reproductive technology.
Tel +64 3 477 3488
Email alison.douglass@barristerschambers.co.nz
Dr Elizabeth Fenton – Senior Lecturer
Public health ethics, global health, resource prioritization, and health policy.
Tel +64 3 471 6128
Email elizabeth.fenton@otago.ac.nz
Dr Grant Gillett – Professor Emeritus
Bioethics, neuroethics, philosophy of psychiatry, post-structuralist philosophy. Professor Gillett is not offering postgraduate supervision.
Ms Josephine Johnston – Associate Professor
Bioethics, law and policy relating to human reproduction, psychiatry, genetics, and neuroscience
Tel +64 3 471 6123
Email josephine.johnston@otago.ac.nz
Dr Mike King – Head of Department and Senior Lecturer
Animal and environmental ethics, scientific responsibility, ethics of assisted reproductive technologies.
Tel +64 3 471 6130
Email mike.king@otago.ac.nz
Dr Taryn Knox – Lecturer
Philosophy of psychiatry and medicine, mental health ethics, sports ethics.
Tel +64 3 471 6122
Email taryn.knox@otago.ac.nz
Nicola Liebergreen – Assistant Research Fellow
Sociology, animal ethics, ethics of working with children and youth, sexual harm prevention.
Tel +64 211 252 123
Email nicola.liebergreen@otago.ac.nz
Dr John McMillan – Professor
Prioritisation, reproductive ethics, the philosophy and ethics of mental health, research ethics, methods of bioethics.
Tel +64 3 471 6135
Email john.mcmillan@otago.ac.nz
Dr Tania Moerenhout – Lecturer
Ethics and philosophy of (new) medical technologies, digital health ethics, clinical ethics and the patient‑doctor relationship.
Tel +64 3 471 5388
Email tania.moerenhout@otago.ac.nz
Dr Jing-Bao Nie – Professor
Cross-cultural and international bioethics, medical ethics in China / Asia.
Tel +64 3 471 6129
Email jing-bao.nie@otago.ac.nz
Dr Geoff Noller – Research Fellow
Tel +64 3 479 4134
Email geoff.noller@otago.ac.nz
Dr Neil Pickering – Associate Professor
Philosophy and ethics of mental health, medical humanities (particularly the use of literature in ethics teaching), alternative medicine, cultural issues in bioethics, environmental ethics.
Tel +64 3 471 6126
Email neil.pickering@otago.ac.nz
Dr Cindy Towns – Honorary Senior Lecturer
Bioethics, health policy, general medicine, and geriatrics.
Email cindy.towns@huttvalleydhb.org.nz
Dr Simon Walker – Senior Lecturer
Moral philosophy, the nature of value, meaning, suffering, end of life care.
Tel +64 3 471 6124
Email simon.walker@otago.ac.nz
Dr Janine Winters – Senior Lecturer
End of life ethical issues for both adults and children, high stakes decision making for children.
Tel +64 3 471 6120
Email janine.winters@otago.ac.nz
Dr Wenna Yeo - Assistant Research Fellow
Animal ethics, animal justice, environmental justice, equity, indigenous philosophy, and multispecies justice.
Email wenna.yeo@otago.ac.nz
Support staff
Cole Beckstead – Administrator
Tel +64 3 556 6530
Email cole.beckstead@otago.ac.nz