Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon
Skip to main content

Suetonia PalmerMB ChB (Otago) PhD (Otago) FRACP FRSNZ

Email suetonia.green@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 3640 640

The Deanery
Ground Floor, Main Building
University of Otago, Christchurch
2 Riccarton Avenue, Christchurch
PO Box 4345
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand

Current roles

  • Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch
  • Deputy Dean, University of Otago, Christchurch
  • Associate Dean (Medical Admissions), Otago Medical School

Research interests

Professor Green is an academic kidney specialist who conducts large-scale clinical trials and meta-analysis and qualitative research about improving the health outcomes for people affected by kidney conditions.

Her current research focus is on identifying treatments that improve health and wellbeing, and healthcare quality and delivery across Aotearoa NZ and globally. She trained at the Dunedin School of Medicine at Otago Medical School and completed her PhD with the Christchurch Heart Institute, before completing her post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston.

Suetonia is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (FRSNZ) in recognition of the high impact of her research. She leads multiple clinical trials in collaboration with Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora and currently leads three HRC project grants. She has >200 peer-reviewed publications and an h-index of 65, including publications in the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, and Annals of Internal Medicine.

Suetonia has received numerous major awards for her research including the L’Oreal For Women in Science fellowship, a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship, the University of Otago Carl Smith Medal and Rowheath Trust award, a Research Gold Medal at the University of Otago, Christchurch, and the Don and Lorraine Jacquot Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

She is a practicing kidney specialist at Christchurch Hospital, specialising in paediatric transition, palliative care, and home-based dialysis. She completed her specialist training and FRACP in 2005.

Professor Green serves the University as Deputy Dean at the University of Otago, Christchurch and as Associate Dean (Medical Admissions). She is a member of the new National Renal Clinical Network for the Ministry of Health and has served as the Chair of the NZ Nephrology Group and President Elect of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology. She is a member of the Health Research Council Data Monitoring Core Committee, overseeing the safety and integrity of trials funded by the HRC. Suetonia is a member of the Otago Medical Curriculum Committee and is leading work on a new digital platform to support clinical activity observation in Advanced Learning in Medicine.

Suetonia currently supervises seven research students in the BMedSci(Hons), Masters, and PhD programmes at the University of Otago, Christchurch. Some of her current research projects are:

  • National Chief Investigator for the IMPEDE-PKD randomised controlled trial of metformin to protect kidney function in people with polycystic kidney disease (HRC project grant; $1.4m)
  • National Chief Investigator for the PHOSPHATE trial to evaluate whether treatment to lower blood phosphate levels improves survival for people treated with dialysis (HRC project grant; $1.4m)
  • National Chief Investigator for the TEACH-PD trial of a curriculum to train patients in peritoneal dialysis (HRC project grant; $1.4m)
  • Principal Investigator (PI) for the Improving symptom management for people with advanced chronic kidney disease (HRC Health Services Research activation grant)

Teaching

  • Co-convenor, 6th year programme Hauora Māori
  • Teacher, 4th year programme, Hauora Māori orientation wānanga

Affiliations

  • Royal Society of New Zealand
  • Australia and New Zealand Society of Nephrology
  • Scientific Programme and Awards Committee, Australia and New Zealand Society of Nephrology
  • Australasian Kidney Trials Network

Publications

Natale, P., Tunnicliffe, D. J., Toyama, T., Palmer, S. C., Saglimbene, V. M., Ruospo, M., … Strippoli, G. F. M. (2024). Sodium-glucose co-transporter protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for people with chronic kidney disease and diabetes [Review]. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 5, CD015588. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD015588.pub2 Journal - Research Article

Natale, P., Palmer, S. C., Navaneethan, S. D., Craig, J. C., & Strippoli, G. F. M. (2024). Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers for preventing the progression of diabetic kidney disease (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 4, CD006257. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006257.pub2 Journal - Research Article

Walker, R. C., Palmer, S. C., Abel, S., Jones, M., Walker, C., & Tipene-Leach, D. (2024). Health care delivery of kidney transplantation to indigenous Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand: A qualitative interview study with clinician stakeholders. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/13558196241248525 Journal - Research Article

Cashmore, B., Tunnicliffe, D. J., Palmer, S., Blythen, L., Boag, J., Kostner, K., … Patu, M., … Walker, R., on behalf of the CARI Guidelines Steering Committee. (2024). Australian and New Zealand Living Guideline cholesterol-lowering therapy for people with chronic kidney disease (CARI Guidelines): Reducing the evidence-practice gap. Nephrology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/nep.14295 Journal - Research Article

Wilson, L. C., Ward, J., Wright, D. F. B., Green, S. C., Stocker, S. L., Putt, T. L., Schollum, J. B. W., & Walker, R. J. (2024). The impact of peritoneal dialysis on oxypurinol and urate elimination in people with gout. Nephrology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/nep.14306 Journal - Research Other

Back to top