Professor Barry Taylor says being a clinician, researcher and teacher is “a wonderful combination”.
Professor Barry Taylor may have given decades of service to the University of Otago, as well as to babies and children in the region, but that certainly doesn’t mean he’s run out of steam.
This distinguished child health researcher is still enthusiastic about teaching and passionate about the research that has been such an important part of his professional life.
Barry is based in the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Dunedin School of Medicine. He semi-retired about two years ago and will be lightening his load further next year but is “not planning to stop any time soon”.
Colleagues last week held a festschrift presentation for Barry to celebrate his career. This was an opportunity for those who have worked closely with Barry to talk about his contribution and achievements.
Barry says it has been a privilege to be able to combine his previous role as a paediatrician with research and teaching. He continues to teach second-year medical students and really enjoys getting to work with a small group of students across a whole year.
Finding the time to do both research and clinical work was hard, but the two complemented each other.
“You’re not in an ivory tower like a lot of researchers. You’re grounded in real life, working with real people, and that makes a huge difference.”
Barry is widely known for his leading-edge research into children’s health, notably in the areas of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), sleep disorders, obesity and diabetes.
At the festschrift in his honour, Barry discusses the principles that have been important to him.
He has held a range of leadership positions at Otago including being Dean of the Dunedin School of Medicine from 2014 to 2020, and Acting Dean of the Otago Medical School from 2018 to 2020.
An Otago Medical School alumnus, Barry was in the first group of medical students that did their clinical years in Christchurch. Early in his career he spent time in England, working in newborn intensive care and carrying out research.
“I came back to Dunedin with a strong interest in research that has continued throughout my whole career.”
A particular highlight is the difference his research has made in relation to SUDI in Aotearoa New Zealand. When Barry started working in that area, about 30 babies a year were dying in Otago, now there is one death every one to two years.
“We did a lot of work around things like sleep position, smoking and bed sharing that has made a difference. However, there are still more deaths from SUDI than in equivalent countries overseas, so there is still more work to do.”
One of the speakers at the festschrift on 12 November, Otago Medical School Acting Dean Professor Tim Wilkinson, said Barry was known for “doing the right thing, not the easy thing.”
Colleagues from New Zealand and overseas spoke about Barry’s strategic thinking and tenacity, his kindness and his gift for fostering collegiality. He had a talent for spotting potential in projects and people and his dedication to his patients and his research was inspiring.
The festschrift coincided with the 75th meeting of the Paediatric Society of New Zealand, also held on the Dunedin campus, and society representatives who spoke at the festschrift thanked Barry for his significant contribution as a former president of the society.
Barry spoke about his childhood in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and how those experiences shaped his focus and choices in adulthood. He emphasised the importance of “staying connected to your base” and to your colleagues so you could share ideas and learn from each other.
In terms of next steps, Barry says a “phased retirement” suits him just fine. When not on campus, he and his wife Teresa are based at their 10-acre, off-grid property at Pukerangi, complete with donkeys, dogs and a greenhouse.
-Kōrero by Andrea Jones, Team Leader, Divisional Communications