About the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

The Department of Paediatrics and Child Health in the Dunedin School of Medicine is one of three Departments of Paediatrics and Child Health, with others at University of Otago Christchurch and University of Otago Wellington. Dunedin Hospital is a busy referral centre for paediatrics and neonatal intensive care for a population of around 350,000 in the southern half of the South Island.

We are committed to excellence in teaching and research in an environment that fosters personal development and respect and stimulates advances in knowledge and the provision of outstanding health care to children and their families / whānau.

The Department works closely with preclinical departments (Physiology and Pathology, primarily in genomic medicine) and the Departments of Medicine and of Preventive and Social Medicine. Genomic medicine hosts the biorepository for the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study and the Department is unique in New Zealand in hosting three research groups managing national population health data.

What we offer

Teaching excellence

We contribute to teaching of all medical students in the second and third years of medicine (ELM2 and ELM3) and to a 300-level paper in Medical Genetics within the Genetics Teaching Programme.

We deliver all clinical teaching to medical students in Dunedin in paediatrics, comprising a six-week attachment in the fifth year and a four-week attachment in the final year of medical training. Postgraduate teaching includes the Diploma of Child Health (community child health (701) delivered entirely in Dunedin and clinical paediatrics (702) jointly with Christchurch and Wellington.

Research excellence

There is a strong research culture in the Department, which supports summer scholars and BMedSc candidates at undergraduate level and postgraduate Masters’ and PhD candidates.

Dunedin offers special opportunities for research collaboration between clinical and basic sciences (biochemistry, physiology, anatomy and neuroscience) and in population health. Areas of interest and staff available for research supervision are listed under research.