Management
Margaret Perley
Head of Student Health Services
Margaret worked at SDHB as a Nurse and Manager for 19 years before moving to Student Health in 2006.
Brylee Saunders
Practice Co-ordinator
Brylee is the Practice Co-ordinator at Student Health. She joined our team in 2011.
Melanie Philip
Clinical Group Leader – Nursing
Melanie is a Registered Nurse and trained in Dunedin. She has worked both in Dunedin and in London, and has a special interest in travel medicine, vaccinations and sexual health.
Bret Dougherty
Clinical Group Leader – Doctors
Bret is a General Practitioner at Student Health, he joined our team in 2010.
Richard Mooney
Clinical Group Leader – Mental Health and Well-being
Richard is a Registered Mental Health Nurse. Originally from and trained in England, he has worked extensively within the mental health field in New Zealand and overseas. He has worked for Student Health since 2017 and is involved in completing initial assessments, crisis resolution, brief intervention and identifying and referring students to appropriate support. He is also an ardent Manchester City fan.
Doctors
Margaret Charles
Doctor
Margaret is delighted to return to Student Health Services after two years away. Her special interests include sexual health, and she is passionate about whole person well-being.
Julia Collett
Doctor
Julia is a General Practitioner at Student Health. She joined our team in 2021.
Henry Cooke
Medical Officer
Henry is a Medical Officer at Student Health. Originally from Ireland, he has worked in Western Australia before coming to New Zealand in 2023. Henry loves mountains, hiking, cycling and mountain biking. He joined our team in 2024.
Claire Handley
Doctor
Claire is a General Practitioner (GPEP3) at Student Health. She joined our team in 2022.
Emma Heaton
Medical Officer
Medical Officer
Emma Heaton is a Medical Officer at Student Health. She joined our team in 2023.
Alveera Hynes
Doctor
Alveera is a General Practitioner at Student Health. She joined our team in 2012.
Raj Kandath
Doctor
Raj is a General Practitioner at Student Health. He joined our team in 2009.
Ami Nukada
Doctor
Ami is a General Practitioner who studied at the University of Otago Medical School and graduated in 2001. He spent his junior doctor years in Dunedin and Ireland, specialising in emergency medicine. He changed to general practice in 2008 and has been at Student Health Services since 2009, with special interests in minor surgery and skin issues. When he’s not at work, Ami is trying to get out on his mountain bike, but spends most of his time as a dad.
Jenny Ogilvy
Doctor
Jenny is a General Practitioner who trained in the UK and has worked in New Zealand since 2003. Her special interests include mental health, contraception (including IUDs), minor surgery and promotion of Student Health across the wider university. She loves horse riding and is an avid fan of Liverpool Football Club.
Prue Orchiston
Doctor
Prue is a General Practitioner at Student Health. She joined our team in 2004.
Tommy Perkov
Medical Officer
Tommy is a Medical Officer at Student Health. She previously worked in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department at Dunedin Hospital, and has a special interest in Women’s Health and Contraception.
Pip Ross
Doctor
Pip is a General Practitioner ( GPEP2 ) at Student Health. She joined our team in 2024. She also works part time in the hospital in the ENT department.
Outside of work Pip enjoys mountain biking and outdoor adventures of any kind.
Leo Stewart
Medical Officer
Leo Stewart is a Medical Officer at Student Health. He joined our team in 2023.
Graeme Whittaker
Doctor
Graeme is a General Practitioner. He joined our team in 2017.
Nurses
Sarah Seque
Registered Nurse
Sarah trained as a nurse in Dunedin, graduating in 2013. Since then, she has gained experience in a variety of health settings but has a special interest in sexual health and general practice nursing.
Aleisha Telford
Registered Nurse
Aleisha is a Registered Nurse, who trained in Dunedin, she joined Student Health in 2022. Aleisha has experience working in kaupapa Māori community nursing and outreach. She has a special interest in vaccinations and is Co-Lead for our professional courses screening and vaccination programme.
Angella Alexander
Registered Nurse
Angella is a Registered Nurse and trained in Dunedin as an adult student. Prior to this she worked at the dental school for 20 years as a Dental Assistant in oral surgery. Angella has worked at Student Health since 2008 & deals with all aspects of general practice, and also specialises as the diabetes nurse for the practice. Angella also works within the travel medicine team and provides Immunotherapy at Student Health. Angella has been a Dunedin girl all her life, and among other things enjoys socialising with her family and friends.
Ashleigh Affleck
Registered Nurse
Ashleigh is a Registered Nurse who trained in Otago. She joined our team in 2017.
Finn Gilbertson
Registered Nurse
Finn is a Registered Nurse at Student Health. He joined our team in 2021.
Gwen Cuthbertson
Registered Nurse
Gwen is a Registered Nurse at Student Health, she joined our team in 2008. Gwen completed her nurse training in Auckland and has worked overseas, and also combined a love for skiing and nursing working as a ski Nurse in Queenstown. She has a special interest in travel medicine, vaccinations and female sexual health.
Outside of work she loves travelling, sailing, fishing, skiing and gardening.
Johanna Kraemer
Registered Nurse
Jo is a Registered Nurse at Student Health. She joined our team in 2014.
Julie Williams
Registered Nurse
Julie is a registered nurse who has worked at the University of Otago for many years. She enjoys working with students from a variety of backgrounds. She has special interests in sexual health, nurse prescribing and acute illness/injury. Outside of work she does a lot of running, athletics and Zumba and rescues a menagerie of animals.
Libby Reid
Registered Nurse
Libby is an experienced Registered Nurse who has a special interest in sexual health, and behaviour change.
Marcy Ballantyne
Registered Nurse
Marcy trained in Otago and joined our team in 2022. She works for the University both here at Student Health as a Practice Nurse Clinician, and as Unit Manager for the Gastroenterology Research Unit. Marcy has a special interest in long term chronic conditions such as diabetes, Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, along with the impact these have on sexual health for students.
Rupert Reyes
Registered Nurse
Rupert is a Registered Nurse at Student Health. He joined our team in 2021.
Tori O'Brien/Clearwater
Clinical Assistant
Tori O'Brien/Clearwater is a Clinical Assistant at Student Health. She joined our team in 2022.
Heather Anderson
Clinical Assistant
Heather Anderson is a Clinical Assistant at Student Health. She joined our team in 2024.
Mental Health and Wellbeing team
Alannah Corson Keogh
Clinical Psychologist
Alannah is a registered Clinical Psychologist who studied at the University of Otago. She also works part time at the Department of Psychological Medicine researching tertiary students' mental health.
Andrea Moore
Wellbeing Counsellor
Andrea Moore joined our team in 2023 as a Wellbeing Counsellor.
Andrea is a qualified counsellor with a postgraduate certificate in addictions.
She comes with 15 years of experience working alongside young people and their whanau experiencing mental health and substance use difficulties but enjoys supporting all young people to overcome adversity and enhance their own resilience.
Anna Seiuli
Counsellor
Anna is a counsellor and joined Student Health in 2019. Anna trained in Otago and is of Samoan descent. Prior to Student Health Anna worked at Otago Polytechnic for ten years in various roles including counselling.
Ashleigh Ryalls
Occupational Therapist
Ashleigh joined the team at Student Health in 2024.
Carolyn Walker
Mental Health Clinician
Caro is a registered Mental Health Occupational Therapist ( OT ), who came to Student Health in 2017 after 17 years working in Mental Health in Dunedin.
Caro is a Dunedin girl and studied both at Otago Uni and Otago Polytechnic. Caro is a part of the Mental Health Support ( MHS) team where her main role is in completing initial assessments, crisis resolution, brief intervention, and identifying and referring students to appropriate supports.
Caro also works in a liaison role with the other support services at Otago Uni which means she gets to get out and about seeing and supporting students around campus and colleges.
Danielle O'Brien
Clinical Psychologist
Danielle is a registered Clinical Psychologist who joined the team in 2018. Having studied at the University of Otago, she is well-equipped to support students through the many challenges they may face throughout their University journey, and is passionate about using evidence-based interventions to improve well-being.
David Jaggard
Mental Health Support Clinician
David is an Occupational Therapist who has been working in mental health or addiction services for many years.
David grew up in Whanganui but Dunedin is definitely home. David loves working at student health and looks forward to meeting new people every day. Ngā mihi nui.
Ellen Warhurst
Clinical Psychologist
Ellen Warhurst is a Clinical Psychologist at Student Health. She joined our team in 2022.
Georgia Cowan
Clinical Psychologist
Georgia Cowan is a Clinical Psychologist at Student Health. She joined our team in 2022.
Grant Ritchie
Well-being Counsellor
Grant is a Registered Mental Health Nurse, who is new to Student Health in 2018, with 29 years of experience working in Mental Health field in Dunedin. Grant is born and bred in Dunedin, having attended Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago. In partnership with the MHS team, and alongside Amber, Alan and Lauren, Grant is one of the Well-Being Counsellors, where his main role is to provide brief intervention counselling, promotion of mental health well-being within the University community, provision of group work and assisting with the MHS role as required.
Janine Dixon
Registered Nurse
Janine is a Registered Nurse, who joined Student Health in 2019, with many years of experience working in Mental Health areas in Dunedin. Janine is born and bred in Dunedin, having attended Otago Polytechnic and studied at Otago University. Janine is a part of the Mental Health support team where her main role is in completing initial assessments, crisis resolution, brief intervention, and identifying and referring students to appropriate supports.
Jen Murray
Wellbeing Counsellor
Jen joined our team in 2021. She is a registered Occupational Therapist working as a Wellbeing Counsellor. Jen has worked in mental health settings for many years, mainly with children, young people and their whānau. Her special interests include supporting students who have experienced situations of sexual harm and difficulties with disordered eating/eating disorders. Outside of work Jen enjoys spending time with her whānau and friends, walking, reading and being outside in the sunshine.
Jessie Gwynne
Wellbeing Clinical Psychologist
Jessie Gwynne is a Clinical Psychologist at Student Health. She joined our team in 2022.
Jubilee Rajiah
Psychiatrist
Jubilee is the Psychiatrist at Student Health. She joined our team in 2002.
Lauren Redshaw
Wellbeing Counsellor
Lauren is a registered Occupational Therapist (OT), with a special interest in the mental health and talking therapies field. Lauren joined the team at Student Health in 2018. After several years working under the Southern District Health Board across a variety of community and inpatient adult mental health settings. Lauren’s brief intervention counselling approach is a blend of Solution-Focussed, ACT and OT skills, knowledge and practices. Lauren comes from the Otakau Peninsula and enjoys spending time with whanau, friends and like-hearted folk; in her spare time you will find her walking with her Staffy, taking photos of nature, drawing, reading and being anywhere near some sunshine or water.
Mami Yamaguchi
Clinical Psychologist
Mami Yamaguchi is a Clinical Psychologist at Student Health. She joined our team in 2023.
Michelle Moore
Wellbeing Counsellor
Michelle is a Registered Occupational Therapist working at Student Health as a Wellbeing Counsellor and joined our team in 2021. Since her training at Otago Polytechnic she has worked predominantly in Mental health and completed training in CBT and other therapies. Until joining Student health she spent 17 years working at Youth Specialty Service and had a special interest in working with young people with Eating Disorders and their families.
Nat Davis
Registered Nurse
Nat is a Registered Nurse, who joined Student Health in 2024, with many years of experience working in Mental Health.
Phil Newman
Mental Health Clinician
Phil is a Registered Mental Health Nurse. Originally from, and trained in England, he has worked extensively within the mental health field in New Zealand and overseas. He has worked for Student Health since 2016 and alongside Caro, Tricia, Janine, Jaime and Richard, Phil is a part of the Mental Health support team where his main role is in completing initial assessments, crisis resolution, brief intervention, and identifying and referring students to appropriate supports.
Sarah Crannitch
Clinical Psychologist
Sarah joined our team in 2024.
Sarah Davie
Occupational Therapist
Sarah Davie is an Occupational Therapist at Student Health.
Before joining our team in 2024, she spent many years working alongside rangatahi and whānau at the DHB.
Dietitian
Minako Kataoka
Dietitian
Minako is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian. She has expertise in dietary prevention, management for chronic diseases, and is a Monash FODMAP-trained dietitian. She joined our team in 2021.
Reception and Administration
Carolyn Jordan
Administrator
Carolyn is a member of our reception and administration team. She joined our team in 2005.
Heather Parnell
Administrator
Heather started at Student Health in January 2019. Prior to that she spent 22 years at ACC in various roles, and a short period at Nelson Marlborough DHB as a Team Leader before moving to Dunedin. She is an avid reader and appreciator of chocolate.
Judy Ross
Clinics Administrator
Judy Ross is a member of our reception and administration team at Student Health. She joined our team in 2022.
Linda Hope
Administrator
Linda is a member of our reception and administration team. She joined our team in 2019.
Megan Millar
Administrator
Megan is a member of our reception and administration team at Student Health. She joined our team in 2024.
Nicole Fyfe
Administrator
Nicole is a member of our administration team at Student Health. She joined our team in 2024.
Nikole Markham
Administrator
Nikole is a member of our reception and administration team at Student Health. She joined our team in 2024.
Peter Mitchell
Administrator
Peter has lived in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland for most of his life and joins the team as a Divisional Services and Administration Administrator. Outside of work a big hobby of Peter’s is rowing coaching which has taken him to London in England, Kirikiriroa Hamilton, and now to Ōtepoti Dunedin.
Sarah Everard
Clinical Activity Coordinator
Sarah is our Clinical Activity Coordinator at Student Health. She joined our team in 2024.