Dr Xaviour Walker is a perfect example of the change he wants to see.
An Otago Medical School graduate, he recently returned from a lengthy period working overseas to take up a Pacific leadership role at the University.
While numbers of Pacific Health Sciences students have been steadily increasing, the same growth has not been seen among staff and leaders, Dr Walker, the new Associate Dean Pacific Division of Health Sciences, says.
“If we look at Health Sciences, and across the university, there are very few Pacific staff, especially in leadership positions. So one of my big focuses is for us to recruit people back after they graduate.
Analysis: What if it was better for the world – and even for New Zealand – if we waited at the back of the line for Covid-19 vaccines? Marc Daalder reports in the first of a two-part series on the implications of inequitable vaccine distribution Recent weeks have seen a political furore emerge over a perceived delay in receiving our vaccines. While the Government said last year that the first Covid-19 vaccines would be deployed to border-facing workers in March, that has now been bumped to April. At the same time, Australia has approved one vaccine for use and plans to begin putting needles in the arms of frontline workers by the middle of next month.
CLARE WATSON
21 DECEMBER 2020
Get your eight hours of sleep each night. That s the usual message, because with enough sleep comes a whole host of health benefits.
But sleep quality may actually be the most important factor predicting good mental health, more so than hours slept, physical activity, and diet, according to a new study of young adults from researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand.
Disrupted sleep has been linked to poor mental health before, including depression and other mood disorders. Eating a well-rounded diet has also been shown to help prevent depression, and even short bouts of exercise can boost your mental and physical health.