OPINION: The latest case of a Canadian passenger testing positive shows the hantavirus outbreak isn’t over yet. We can probably expect more cases, given the long incubation period of this infection.

The University of Otago HIV Epidemiology Group recently released its latest figures, showing 80 people were first diagnosed with HIV in New Zealand in 2025. Read more ⬇️

Studying, parenting, working full-time - and graduating with a second Master's ✨📚 James Heimuli already holds a Master of Public Health (Hons) and on Saturday graduated with a Master of Business Administration 🎓 Read more ⬇️

Recent graduate Dr Navdeep Kaur never imagined she would leave India to study overseas - now she's graduated with a PhD in Psychology 🎓 Navdeep says meeting her supervisor, Professor Jamin Halberstadt, felt like meeting the mentor figure she grew up waching on screen ❤️ Read more here ⬇

Graduate Elliot Weir can do it all 💫 Elliot has just graduated with a master's degree in Ecology - after student years spent feeding geckos, working undercover as a journalist, and becoming the youngest-ever person elected to the Otago Regional Council 🦎 Read more here ⬇

OPINION: Without immigrant doctors, one expert quoted in a recent report said, New Zealand’s health system “would be more on our knees than we already are”. Read more ⬇️

Nina Batucan was studying to become a nurse until she read a book about neuroscience and psychology. There, she discovered her real passion, science 🧪🧠 She switched to Ecology and never looked back. She's graduating this Saturday with a PhD in Freshwater Ecology 🎓 Read more ⬇️

Charlotte Leach is this year's recipient of the Jolene Patuawa-Tuilave Māori Leadership in Law Scholarship 📖 The late Jolene Patuawa-Tuilave was a highly respected Otago Law graduate and young leader in the legal profession, who worked closely amongst hapū and iwi 💛 Read more ⬇️

OPINION: The hoiho, also known as takaraka or yellow-eyed penguin, holds a special place in Aotearoa New Zealand’s natural identity. Read more ⬇️

Hands-on learning, real-world medicine 💙👩‍⚕️ Otago trainee intern Lucy Gibson recently completed her GP elective at Victoria Clinic General Practice and Urgent Care in Hamilton, and there was "never a dull moment". Read more ⬇️

Alexander Lea is a Bachelor of Science student chasing his passion for network engineering 🛜 He's also the winner of the inaugural University of Otago | Dunedin City Council Entrance Scholarship, worth $15,000 and awarded once every three years to undergraduate Otago students ⭐️ Read more ⬇

“Every fibre in me wants to lessen health inequities.” 🥹🎓 Otago dentistry graduate Ethan Kamana is already turning that mission into action 🚀 After completing his degree and writing a children's book on dental care, Ethan has secured work in his hometown of Rotorua. Read more ⬇️

“You do not need to set aside your identity or experiences ... your perspective is your strength." This is the advice that new graduate Ravneel Chand gives to aspiring students, especially those from Pacific Island countries 💫 Read more ⬇️

History made on the dance floor 🤯💃 Over the weekend Otago awarded Yanling Sun the first Doctorate of Philosophy in Dance in the Humanities 🎶 “Studying for a PhD in Dance at the University of Otago was a unique and deeply enriching experience.” Read more ⬇️

Progress doesn’t have a deadline 🎥 Our Bachelor of Arts grad Olivia Moreton is proof 💙💛 “It's taken me a while, and a lot of hard work, to get to where I am. I'm really happy with where my life is now. It's just pretty fantastic.” Read more ⬇️

Balancing family, remote study and frontline surveillance 💪 Lauren Jelley’s doctoral journey was fuelled by determination and purpose. After graduating with a PhD in Genomic Epidemiology, Lauren is now focusing on tracking viral infections in Aotearoa 🦠  Read more here ⬇️

OPINION: General practitioners (GPs) and hospital doctors are usually the first contact point for patients, but as our new research shows, they can take on different roles, acting either as gatekeepers or brokers. Read more ⬇️

A "give-it-a try type of person", Rāwinia Wikaira graduates today with Bachelor of Arts and Science majoring in Māori Studies and Ecology, having also racked up hundreds of hours of volunteer work, taken on summer internships and even a deep-sea adventure 🦑 Read more ⬇️

A full circle moment for Professor Jonathan Lemalu 🎶✨ The award-winning opera singer and Otago alumna has been presented with an Honorary Doctor of Music, the first person in 19 years to be awarded one 🎼 Read more about his story below ⬇️

Why are mothers bearing the brunt of food insecurity? 🥦 A study done by Dr Ioanna Katiforis at Otago's Department of Human Nutrition aims to answer this question. Remind more about her study below ⬇️ www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...

Ready to serve… one soon-to-be graduate says her life experience makes her a better doctor 🩺❤️ Leigh (Ngāti Hine (Te Tai Tokerau), Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāpuhi) graduates with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) in Dunedin on Saturday. Read more⬇️

Full-time scientist. Busy mum. Now set to graduate again 🎓🥳 Denise Zuze Carter will be the first student of the Postgraduate Diploma of Medical Laboratory Science programme when she graduates this Saturday 🌟 Read more⬇️

An Otago Law alumna is making an impact overseas 🌎 Associate Professor Katarina Schwarz has been appointed a United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking. Read more about her appointment below ⬇️

The Dunedin Study has hit an important milestone 🏆🎉 This world-leading study is celebrating the successful completion of its next milestone data-collection phase 💡💫 Read more about this story ⬇️

A new name to chart the future ✨ The Division of Health Sciences has been given a new te reo Māori ikoa (name) – Te Tautari Nui, derived from 'Te Tautari-nui-o-Matariki’ – the place where stars are divided ⭐️ Read the story behind this new name ⬇️

Climate change is affecting more than the weather 🔥 🧠 Otago Professor Anna Ranta from the Wellington campus says that an unstable climate increases the risk of life-threatening strokes. Read more ⬇️

An Otago researcher cautions that as the world undergoes a fundamental change in how money works, New Zealand should choose its response wisely 🤔💰 Read more⬇️

Otago scientists are excellent listeners - especially when it comes to dolphins 🐬 👂 An Otago study found that monitoring the sounds of endangered Hector’s dolphins may help reveal crucial clues to avoid extinction. Read more⬇️

OPINION: A rare dataset collected by instruments at the point where Antarctica’s largest ice shelf begins to float reveals ocean processes that drive melting at this critical part of the continent. Read more⬇️

Otago researchers secured $350,000 to help stop the spread of an invasive clam threatening freshwater ecosystems in Aotearoa. Working with local Māori, the team is developing tools that detect and stop its spread early - with the same approach also being used to track kauri dieback. Read more⬇️

Can the high cost of school uniforms be a barrier to attendance? 👕🤔 According to three researchers from the Department of Public Health in Wellington, the answer is yes. Read more⬇️

The world's fertiliser highway is under threat, writes Otago's Economics lecturer Murat Ungor. So is there a plan? Read more: theconversation.com/the-middle-e...

New research suggests STIs in Otago’s gold rush were less common than books say 🤔📚 “Despite the severe and often lasting effects on health, there is limited information about sexually transmitted infections in New Zealand’s colonial period..." lead author Kirsten Rutten says. Read more⬇️

4 Otago scholars have been recognised by the Royal Society Te Apārangi 👏 🌟 Professors Tim Anderson, Michael Baker, John Crump, and Peter Dearden have been selected as Fellows of the Society’s Academy and will officially be inducted at a ceremony in Wellington on 30 April. Read more⬇️

Otago researchers say marketers need to pay more attention to how their practices normalise the consumption of harmful products 🚬 Associate Professor Watkins says marketing’s role in amplifying harmful consumption has become impossible to ignore. Read more⬇️

OPINION: A high prevalence of long COVID is perhaps the starkest reminder that the pandemic is far from over. The latest New Zealand Health Survey confirms the impacts of the COVID pandemic continue, six years after the initial outbreak.  Read more⬇️

An Otago researcher has secured a $2M grant to study mysterious fish toxins 🐟 Dr. Nicholas Green was awarded a highly competitive international grant for a three-year study, chosen from over 1,100 global applications 🌎 Read more⬇️

A study led by one of our Wellington researchers, Sharla McTavish, has found that hospital admissions for sepsis increased significantly between 2000 and 2019. Read more⬇️

OPINION: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 – particularly the 2.3.4.4b lineage – has transformed the global disease landscape over recent years. Read more⬇️

OPINION: As the escalating US-Israel war on Iran drives a global fuel supply crisis, New Zealand is eyeing two major – and very different – projects aimed at bolstering its long-term energy security. Read more⬇️

OPINION: In recent years, there has been no shortage of warnings about the fragility of New Zealand’s largely imported fuel supply. Now, motorists are seeing the cost of that vulnerability at the pump. Across the country, petrol has surpassed $3.30 a litre on average. Read more⬇️

Do you know what you need to know about meningitis? 🤔 Otago Professor Peter McIntyre shares his expertise 💬 Read here⬇️

A new University of Otago initiative aims to improve food safety in Aotearoa. Just launched, the Food Safety Culture Lab is a multidisciplinary research group that focuses on human behaviours in the food industry that can lead to foodborne illnesses. Read more⬇️

OPINION: In the aftermath of another summer of weather disasters, there were headlines about a “growing gap” between recovery efforts and preparation for climate change impacts. Read more⬇️

Evidence on the benefits of exercise for cancer patients has been too hard to ignore for University of Otago, Christchurch cancer researcher Associate Professor Marg Currie. Marg is part of a team looking to pilot individualised exercise programmes as an integral part of cancer care. Read more⬇️

With more people visiting Aotearoa’s mountains, safety information on "snow conditions and avalanche danger" is a must. Thanks to an Otago research grant, a new mapping system is underway to manage avalanche risk. Read more⬇️

A study led by one of our Wellington researchers, Dr Claire Henry, has found medicinal cannabis may help people with endometriosis, reducing pain while improving sleep and anxiety. Participants in the study were prescribed CBD oil alone or with dried cannabis flower. Read more⬇️

OPINION: Each time another study about human-driven species extinction hits the news in Aotearoa New Zealand, a familiar pattern unfolds in online comment sections. Read more⬇️

Otago alumnus Dr Will Flavell has been shaping education and community ❤️ Since completing his Doctor of Education in 2020, and being named a Fulbright Scholar in 2022, Will has recently taken on the role of principal at the new Māori charter school, Te Kāpehu Whetū – Tāmaki 🏫 Listen here 🎧⬇️

OPINION: A second Royal Commission of Inquiry into New Zealand’s experience and handling of the COVID pandemic released its substantial report today, running to several volumes and hundreds of pages. Read more⬇️