Our Medical Committee

Professor Larry Chamley is Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at the University of Auckland where he heads a research group studying the biology and immunology of reproduction. He was the Director of the Hub for Extracellular Vesicles (HEVI) at The University of Auckland. He is the Editor of Trophoblast Research, an Associate Editor of Reproduction and is the past Vice President of the American Society for Reproductive Immunology. Larry joined our Medical Committee in 2007 and was appointed Co-Deputy Chair of the Medical Committee in 2021 and was appointed to our Board in December 2022. He became Chair of the Medical Committee in 2025.

Vanessa Selak is a Public Health Medicine Specialist and Associate Professor in the Section of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Auckland. Vanessa has 20 years’ experience working in hospital-based clinical, funding, planning and quality roles. She co-leads the University of Auckland’s Health Data Platform, and her teaching and research are focused on the use routinely collected data to support improvement in health care quality and outcomes. Vanessa was appointed as Co-Deputy Chair of our Medical Committee in December 2022, and we were delighted to have Vanessa join our Board at the same time.

Dr Julie Lim is an Associate Professor in the Molecular Vision Research Cluster, Department of Physiology, The University of Auckland. She received her undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications from the School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland with her PhD research supported by an AMRF Doctoral Scholarship. She then undertook post-doctoral training in the Department of Physiology, University of Auckland, under the mentorship of Professor Paul Donaldson, where she worked on identifying membrane transporters involved in the uptake of antioxidants in the lens. She has received a number of awards for her research including the Sir Charles Hercus Health Research postdoctoral fellowship, the Zonta Women in Science Award and the National Foundation for Eye Research -Cataract Research Award. More recently, the Molecular Vision Research Cluster was awarded the University of Auckland Research Excellence Award. Julie’s current work focuses on understanding the development of age-related eye diseases with a particular focus on the lens and lens cataract. Current projects involve investigating the interplay between reactive oxygen species and antioxidants to determine whether endogenous antioxidant defence systems in the lens can be harnessed to elevate antioxidant levels in the lens and delay cataract formation and AMRF funded work investigating inter-tissue cross talk between the lens and other tissues of the eye to maintain ocular health. Julie was appointed to the AMRF Board in September 2024.

Dr Gemma Aburn is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing at the University of Auckland. She leads the Paediatric Palliative Care research group within the Te Ārai Palliative and End of Life Care research group and established and leads the Child & Youth Health Collaborative. Gemma is also a clinician and currently works as a Children’s Community Nurse Specialist in the Waitākere area for Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Waitemāta. Prior to this, Gemma was Nurse Specialist in Paediatric Palliative Care at Starship Child Health for 13 years. Her research programme has focused on developing equitable, sustainable models of delivery of children’s palliative care ensuring alignment across education, clinical practice and research. Gemma has been a recipient of AMRF grants, including a project grant that enabled the development of an evidence-based, culturally embedded national curriculum and education programme for health professionals working with children with palliative care needs.

Radilaite Cammock is an Associate Professor of Public Health and Deputy Associate Dean for Pacific Advancement within the Faculty of Health and Environmental Science at Auckland University of Technology. She holds both a Master’s and a Doctorate in Public Health from the University of Otago. Her interests are centred on public health, with a particular focus on policy and systems that address inequities and disparities within the health sector. Associate Professor Cammock is also co-chair of the Moanaroa Research Network, a pan-university initiative dedicated to indigenous Pacific research in New Zealand and the Pacific diaspora.

She has led the New Zealand Health Research Council-funded ‘Let’s Talk About It’ project, which investigates sexual and reproductive health education among Pacific youth. Currently, she is undertaking an HRC fellowship aimed at developing a Fijian model of health. Associate Professor Cammock draws on her work in Pacific communities to advance Pacific methodological approaches in health that prioritise Pacific indigenous knowledge and systems. Her publications on Talanoa methodology and Fijian research paradigms have contributed significantly to the growth of the indigenous research movement in the Pacific.

Associate Professor Cammock teaches undergraduate courses in public health theory and models, as well as postgraduate courses in public health policy and systems. She is deeply involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate Pacific health education, including the development of Pacific health research and design courses at the postgraduate level. She is originally from Muanaira, Vutia, Rewa, with maternal connections to Nasolo in the Ba province of Fiji.

Dr Doug Campbell is a specialist anaesthetist with a subspecialty interest in neuroscience and a neuroanaesthesia. He graduated from University of Southampton in United Kingdom in 1990 and emigrated permanently to New Zealand in 1998. He is director of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine Research at Auckland City Hospital, a member of the Executive of the Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Clinical Trial Network, and is currently Senior Clinical Research Fellow for the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand. His research interests include depth of anaesthesia and clinical outcomes (mortality, delirium and cognitive outcomes), surgical epidemiology including risk prediction (NZRISK) and is Principal Investigator of MASTERSTROKE, a RCT looking at induced hypertension and stroke outcomes. He is involved with numerous collaborative trials, but particularly with ANZCA, and the University Departments of Physiology and Neurology.

Dr Alana Cavadino is a Biostatistician and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Auckland. Alana’s expertise is in statistical analysis for health research, having worked as a Statistician across a diverse range of research projects in the past 12 years. She received her PhD in Medical Statistics at Queen Mary University of London in 2018, prior to which she completed a BSc in Mathematics at the University of Manchester, an MSc in Medical Statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and worked as a Research Assistant Statistician in genetic epidemiology at the University College London (UK).

Upon moving to New Zealand in 2018, Alana joined the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences Biostatistics Consulting Group at the University of Auckland, for which she is now team lead. The team provide biostatistical advice and consultation to researchers across the faculty, working and collaborating on a variety of epidemiological, clinical, and general medical studies. Alana supervises postgraduate research students and is course director for a postgraduate paper “Statistics in Health Science”, teaching students important introductory statistics and practical data analysis skills. She is an associate editor for the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Associate Professor Amy Chan is the Head of School of Pharmacy at the University of Auckland, and Respiratory Lead of the Medicines Intelligence Group. A clinical pharmacist with over 20 years of experience, she completed her postdoctoral fellowship at University College London and now leads a research team exploring digital technology, big data, and respiratory health, with a focus on using data and digital technology to improve care delivery.

She is Clinical Director for Asthma NZ and part of the research team for the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association. She is also Global Lead for the FIP Hub with the International Pharmaceutical Federation, and co-chair of the European Respiratory Society CONNECT clinical research collaboration, which focuses on digital respiratory healthcare. Dr Chan has been involved in over 80 different projects and has contributed to WHO guidelines and international respiratory policy. She also serves on multiple advisory boards and editorial teams, influencing practice and policy at both national and global levels including work with ENABLE and the Global Asthma Network.

Dr Julie Choisne is a Senior Research Fellow and Associate Director of Equity and Diversity at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute at the University of Auckland. She received her MSc degree from the Graduate School of Engineering (ESILV) in Paris and her PhD in mechanical engineering from Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA. This was followed by postdoctoral studies at the Human Biomechanics Institute Georges Charpak in Paris, France. Her research focuses on the mechanics of the musculoskeletal system and gait disorders, especially in the paediatric population. Her research combines experimental methods, imaging, and computational modelling to answer clinical questions, with the overarching goal of improving early assessment to support better recovery. She currently receives funding from the HRC Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship, investigating the form and function of paediatric lower limb bones in patients with bone deformities.

Prof Alys Clark is a Professor in Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland. She obtained her PhD in Applied Mathematics at University of Adelaide, Australia, before moving to University of Auckland to complete a postdoctoral research position investigating pulmonary embolism via computational modelling. In 2014 she was awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship to pursue research in computational modelling of the placenta and pregnancy. She serves on the editorial board of “Human Reproduction” and “Frontiers in Network Physiology”. Her current research focuses on translating computational models of pregnancy to the clinic, as well as improving our basic understanding of pregnancy health.

Dr Jay Gong is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland, and a registered pharmacist with over a decade of experience working in hospitals around NZ in liver disease and transplantation. Jay is a research theme lead at the School of Pharmacy’s Medicine Intelligence Group, with a primary focus on the inappropriate use of prescription medicines, mostly regarding opioids and corticosteroids, using routinely collected health data in population-based cohort studies. In addition, Jay also leads several research projects examining the roles of generative artificial intelligence in health solutions and higher education. Jay has received funding from the NZ Health Research Council and was awarded a HRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship.

Dr Chris Hedges is a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland. He completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) with First Class Honours at the University of Auckland, and a PhD at Victoria University (Melbourne), before returning to New Zealand for postdoctoral studies with A/P Troy Merry. Chris’ research focuses on cellular energy metabolism, and how different perturbations (such as diet, exercise, genes, and drugs) affect metabolic regulation in health and disease, with interests in mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and functions of insulin.

Professor Nuala Helsby is a professor in the department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology at the University of Auckland, where Nuala teaches in numerous courses to both basic scientists and students in clinical programs. Following a number of years as a postdoctoral fellow in the UK at the University of Liverpool and the University of Birmingham, Nuala moved to NZ where she initially worked in the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre and then joined her current department in 2004.

Nuala has an ongoing research interest in pharmacogenomics and drug disposition with a particular focus on anticancer drugs and medications for autoimmune diseases.. She also has an active role in the Australian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR). She has served as an executive editor of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Nuala is also a member of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) Pharmacogenomics advisory group and a member of the PharmVar www.pharmvar.org consortium. In recognition of over 30 years of experience in this field Nuala has been awarded Fellowship of the British Pharmacology Society.

Associate Professor Gwyn Lewis is in the Department of Physiotherapy at Auckland University of Technology. She obtained a PhD from the University of Auckland in 2003 and then had an extended post-doctoral experience undertaking research in motor control, rehabilitation, and neurophysiology at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. She returned to New Zealand to work at Auckland University of Technology in 2007. Her main areas of research are in pain, rehabilitation, and neurophysiology. Her current research focus is in acute and chronic pain, particularly around cultural aspects of pain management, pain neurophysiology, and the development and management of persistent pain. She has undertaken specific research projects examining neural plasticity of the nociceptive system, cognitive and psychosocial influences on pain, predictors of chronic pain development, and cultural interpretations of pain and pain management.

Dr Elizabeth Oliphant is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Auckland. Liz’s professional background is as a clinical pharmacist, with expertise in obstetrics and paediatrics. After graduating from the University of Auckland, she spent 18 years working in hospital and community pharmacy in New Zealand, predominately in Starship and National Women’s, before being awarded a Health Research Council Fellowship complete her PhD in Paediatrics and subsequently moving into academia. Her research interests continue to be focused around optimising the use of existing medicines for pregnant women, babies and children, ranging from clinical trials of medicines to pharmaceutical stability studies to enable the development of appropriate medicine formulations for these groups. Current projects include clinical trials of caffeine for apnoea and neurodevelopment in preterm infants, and long-term follow-up of infants in previous trials; work investigating optimising misoprostol dosing for the induction of labour in women with higher BMI; and work on developing stable formulations for pharmacists to use in manufacturing oral liquid formulations from tablets. Alongside her research, Liz teaches coordinates the teaching of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Paediatrics in the undergraduate pharmacy programme, supervises postgraduate research students, and teaches paediatric pharmacology to a range of health professionals. She is also a member of the National Compounding Working Group, providing advice on extemporaneous compounding of medicines in NZ.

Dr Raewyn Poulsen is a Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Auckland. Following completion of a PhD in Biochemistry at Massey University, she spent 5 years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, UK investigating the cellular signalling events involved in musculoskeletal degeneration. She now leads a research group investigating the pathophysiology and pharmacological management of chronic musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis.

Dr Hilary Sheppard is a Senior Lecturer in Stem Cell and Developmental Biology in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. She obtained a BSc (Hons) from the University of Bath, UK and a PhD in Molecular Biology at the John Innes Institute, UK. Following post-doctoral studies at the University of California, Riverside, USA and University of Leicester, UK, she moved to NZ to work in industry with Genesis R and D prior to her current academic role.

With a background in gene expression and cellular differentiation her current research focus is on using targeted genome engineering technologies (such as CRISPR/Cas9) to enhance cells for use in the clinic by altering the expression of key molecules. This includes immune cells for improved cancer-targeting immunotherapies and, in an AMRF funded project, skin cells to create gene-edited patient-specific skin sheets for people with extreme fragile skin conditions.

Dr Marie-Claire Smith is Senior Lecturer and Programme Lead for the Master of Physiotherapy Practice Programme at the University of Auckland. She is a neuroscientist and physiotherapist with 20 years clinical experience in hospital settings in Aotearoa and the United Kingdom. She graduated with a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Physiotherapy from Auckland University of Technology in 2000 and obtained her PhD in Health Sciences (neuroscience) in 2018 from the University of Auckland. Dr Smith is currently Secretary for the Australia New Zealand Stroke Organisation Aotearoa branch (previously President). She is also a member of the working group for the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Living Guidelines for Stroke Management.

Dr Smith’s research programme focuses on biomarkers for stroke recovery and prediction of motor outcomes after stroke, leading the work on early prediction of independent walking after stroke. This work includes neurophysiology, neuroimaging, clinical assessments and patient, whānau and clinician questionnaires and interviews. She is passionate about translating clinical research into practice and ensuring research meets the needs of patients and whānau.

Dr Smith has received several national and international awards for her prediction research. She was granted AMRF and Neurological Foundation postdoctoral fellowships supporting her work on walking prediction after stroke. She is currently leading a Health Research Council funded project designing and testing of a cardiac rehabilitation programme for people with stroke.

Dr Moana Tercel is a Senior Research Fellow and Associate Director for Research at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Auckland. She received her BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Auckland and her PhD in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of Cambridge. This was followed by postdoctoral studies at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany. Moana has over thirty years’ experience in medicinal chemistry and in drug design and discovery. She has a strong interest in DNA alkylating agents and in methods to endow these with tumour-selective properties, such as the formation of hypoxia-activated prodrugs or antibody-drug conjugates.

Gergely Toldi is an associate professor of neonatology at the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland. He trained in paediatrics and neonatal medicine in Hungary and the UK. His research primarily focuses on early life development of the immune response and understanding the immunological background of complications affecting preterm and term neonates as well as pregnant women. He contributed to developing novel flow cytometry based diagnostic and experimental methods. He received funding from an AMRF Project Grant between 2023 and 2025 to investigate the role of short chain fatty acids in neonatal immune health and development. In his clinical role, he works as a consultant neonatologist at Starship Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Dr Srdjan Vlajkovic is an Associate Professor in Physiology at The University of Auckland. He is a Principal Investigator with the Eisdell Moore Centre for hearing and balance (UoA). His primary research interest is in auditory neuroscience. Dr Vlajkovic studies the cellular and molecular basis of inner ear homeostasis under conditions of stress and injury that lead to hearing loss. His research focuses on inner ear therapeutics and methods of drug delivery to the inner ear. Dr Vlajkovic is also leading the field of adenosine receptor signalling in the cochlea and international translational research in this area.