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Anja Mizdrak image 2020DPhil
Senior Research Fellow

Contact details

Tel +64 4 918 6192
Email anja.mizdrak@otago.ac.nz

Research interests and activities

Dr Anja Mizdrak is a public health researcher who specialises in quantitative modelling. Her work has covered multiple topics including alcohol, transport, physical activity, COVID-19, and nutrition. Anja is interested in the role of modelling in public health policy and practice, and the wider societal impacts of health behaviours and interventions, such as impacts on inequities and the environment. She currently works across multiple projects including:

  • Seeking the Transport Sweet Spot: health, equity, and zero carbon (led by Associate Professor Caroline Shaw)
  • Prioritising Māori health and equity: a critical approach to modelling (led by Associate Professor Melissa McLeod)

Anja joined the University of Otago in 2017 to work on the Burden of Disease Epidemiology, Equity and Cost-Effectiveness Programme (BODE³). Prior to joining the University, Anja completed her PhD which investigated the impact of health-related food taxes and subsidies in the UK, specifically focusing on differential impacts by household income. Anja's interest in public health began during her undergraduate degree in Human Sciences at the University of Oxford.

Publications

Bergen, T., Richards, J., Kira, G., Kim, A. H. M., Signal, L., & Mizdrak, A. (2024). The effectiveness of secondary-school based interventions on the future physical activity of adolescents in Aotearoa New Zealand: A modelling study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, 21, 114. doi: 10.1186/s12966-024-01653-z Journal - Research Article

Shaw, C., Mizdrak, A., Gage, R., McLeod, M., Jones, R., Woodward, A., & Cobiac, L. (2024). Policy approaches to decarbonising the transport sector in Aotearoa New Zealand: Modelling equity, population health, and health-system effects. Lancet Planetary Health, 8(9), e647-e656. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00171-2 Journal - Research Article

Chambers, T., Mizdrak, A., Jones, A. C., Davies, A., & Sherk, A. (2024). Estimated alcohol-attributable health burden in Aotearoa New Zealand. (pp. 1-58). Wellington, New Zealand: University of Otago. Retrieved from https://hpa.org.nz/ Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report

Shaw, C., Gage, R., McLeod, M., Jones, R., Mizdrak, A., & Woodward, A. (2024). Socioeconomic inequalities in greenhouse gas emissions from household travel in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Travel Behaviour & Society, 37, 100820. doi: 10.1016/j.tbs.2024.100820 Journal - Research Article

Davies, A., Mizdrak, A., Herbert, S., Gibbs, S., & Jones, A. (2024). Using integrated data to examine alcohol related harm in Aotearoa New Zealand. (pp. 1-33). Wellington, New Zealand: University of Otago. Retrieved from https://vhin.co.nz/external-resources/idi-alcohol-related-harm-nz Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report

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