Doctoral study in Paediatrics

• We are a vibrant department of clinical and non-clinical researchers seeking to understand and improve health and wellbeing of young people in New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region.
• We have diverse research strengths: fetal medicine, neonatology, emergency medicine, general paediatrics, child development, respiratory health, endocrinology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, public health, obesity, biostatistics and equity in health.
• Our research informs treatment guidelines, healthcare practice and health policy in New Zealand and internationally.
• We publish quality research in high impact national and international journals.

You can study paediatrics as a specialisation within the following doctoral programmes.

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Doctor of Medical Sciences (DMedSc)
• Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc)

When you join us for your doctorate in Paediatrics, you will join a high-calibre research community, publish papers, attend international conferences and develop your network in academia, government and industry. Our research has attracted success in gaining competitive research grants from the Health Research Council, Cure Kids, Auckland Medical Research Foundation, Royal Society of New Zealand, Lotteries New Zealand, NZ Government Ministries, Wellcome Trust (UK), National Institutes of Health (USA) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia).

The Department of Paediatrics: Child and Youth Health offers a collaborative and stimulating environment with synergies between other research clusters in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Population Health, and many more. There are a wide range of research opportunities available in the Department including fetal medicine, neonatology, emergency medicine, general paediatrics, child development, respiratory health, endocrinology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, public health, obesity, biostatistics and equity in health.

We welcome students interested in topics listed in the section below.

Pursue your topic with us and benefit from exceptional standards of support and supervision from internationally recognised researchers.

Professor Cameron Grant: General paediatrics, infant and child health, respiratory diseases, public health nutrition, preventative healthcare

Professor Jane Alsweiler: Neonatology

Associate Professor Emma Best: Infectious diseases

Professor Cass Byrnes: Respiratory diseases, health equity 

Dr Carol Chelimo: Epidemiology, biostatistics

Professor Stuart Dalziel: Paediatric emergency medicine

Dr Catherine Gilchrist: Infant and child health, child and adolescent development, adolescent health, biochemistry and cell biology, respiratory diseases, infectious diseases

Professor Alistair Gunn: Fetal development and medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics

Dr Anna Howe: Epidemiology, infant and child health 

Associate Professor Stephen Howie: Epidemiology, Pacific child health, prevention and treatment of high-morbidity and high-mortality child health conditions

Dr Fiona Langridge: Global child health, Pacific child health, community engagement, resilience and wellbeing in children, child protection

Associate Professor Chris McKinlay: Neonatology

Professor John Thompson: Epidemiology, epidemiology methods, nutritional
epidemiology

Dr Simone Watkins: Health equity, cardiology (incl. cardiovascular diseases), Pacific child health

Associate Professor Rachel Webb: Infectious diseases 

 Dr Cervantée Wild: Public health, community child health, health sciences, health equity, health services and systems, social determinants of health, health policy, health systems

The wide range of research carried out in our department is highlighted by thesis titles from our recent PhD graduates and current PhD students.

•  ‘Pēpē-Infant sleep and sudden unexpected death in infancy in Māori’ | Supervised by Professor John Thompson, Professor Edwin Mitchell
•  ‘Pathways to healthy development in New Zealand preschool children’ | Supervised by Professor Cameron Grant
•  ‘The prevention of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children born to diabetic mothers’ | Supervised by Professor Jane Alsweiler, Associate Professor Chris McKinlay, Professor Jane Harding
•  ‘Life course determinants of asthma in New Zealand children’ | Supervised by Professor Cameron Grant, Dr Carol Chelimo, Dr William Schierding
•  ‘Effects of paracetamol and ibuprofen on respiratory disease and eczema in the first year of life’ | Supervised by Professor Suart Dalziel, Associate Professor Chris McKinlay
•  ‘Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on invasive bacterial infection in tamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa New Zealand’ | Supervised by Associate Professor Emma Best, Professor Cass Byrnes, Associate Professor Rachel Webb
• ‘Maternal Psoriasis and Child Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at Two Years of Age’ | Supervised by Professor Jane Alsweiler, Dr Hannah Jones, Dr Kyle Eggleton, Associate Professor Michelle Wise
•  ‘A Health Needs Assessment to Determine Whether Domiciliary Oxygen Therapy is an Unmet Need in Fiji: A Mixed-method Study’ | Supervised by Dr Fiona Langridge, Associate Professor Stephen Howie
•  ‘Improving Access to Care for Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease in Fiji: A Mixed-Methods Study’ | Supervised by Associate Professor Stephen Howie, Professor Bridget Kool, Professor Chris Bullen
•  ‘Post Streptococcal Glomerulonephritis in New Zealand Children’ | Supervised by Associate Professor Rachel Webb, Associate Professor Nikki Moreland

I am a Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist who completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Auckland in 2010. In 2022, after completing my Paediatric subspecialty training, I was awarded a Clinical Research Training Fellowship from the Health Research Council of New Zealand. This supported my enrolment in a PhD in the Department of Paediatrics: Child and Youth Health at the University of Auckland, supervised by Associate Professors Rachel Webb and Nikki Moreland—internationally recognised leaders in Group A Streptococcus (GAS) research.

My doctoral research investigates post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN), a serious complication of GAS infection. My thesis focuses on understanding the inequitable burden and outcomes of PSGN in New Zealand children.

Undertaking a doctorate through the Department of Paediatrics has been incredibly rewarding, offering opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across the university and beyond. To date, my research has led to several peer-reviewed publications on GAS and PSGN, and I’ve presented findings at both national and international conferences. The doctoral journey is equipping me with essential skills as a clinician-researcher and helping me build an academic career that contributes meaningfully to improving health outcomes for tamariki and their whānau.

Amanda Taylor
Doctoral candidate

I am a PhD candidate with a Master of Public Health (Distinction) and medical degree from the University of Otago, and Fellowship of the New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine.

My experience spans clinical, advisory, and leadership roles across Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific. My PhD research uses a mixed methods approach to explore how to improve access to care for children with acute respiratory infections in Fiji.

In my final PhD year, I was awarded a Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Award, which I’m undertaking at the Johns Hopkins University to deepen my focus on Indigenous health.

Sainimere Boladuadua 

There are several scholarships you may be eligible for when you decide to pursue your doctoral studies in paediatrics. 

University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarships

University of Auckland Senior Health Research Scholarship

Auckland Medical Research Foundation Doctoral Scholarships

Dean's International Doctoral Scholarhips (FMHS)

Do you want to chat further about your studies? Contact us using the details below.

Dr Catherine Gilchrist, PG Adviser (Paediatrics - Doctoral)