Research interests

These are some of the key research interests within our department. Click each staff member's name to find out more about their research and expertise.

Body composition, nutrition and metabolism

This research focuses on the body composition and other metabolic changes that accompany major surgery and illness. The following researchers investigate other interventions that can modulate these changes with consequent benefit to patients.

Emergency Medicine

We are committed to high quality, ethical research in emergency medicine, resuscitation, surgery and trauma. We aim to promote a culture of better patient care through research and knowledge translation of evidence based practice

Enhanced recovery after surgery

This research is centred on patient knowledge and involvement and driven by a multidisciplinary approach to reduce the psychological and physiological stress of undergoing surgery. This is achieved by providing pre-surgery education alongside a revision of traditional surgical care practice, optimising all aspects such as pain relief, nutrition, fluid therapy and early mobilisation.

Medical education

Our research examines the current undergraduate and continuing education programmes at South Auckland Clinical Campus to ensure that we are able to deliver the highest standard of teaching and learning.

Metabolism, nutrition and pancreas

This research focuses on translational, clinical, and epidemiological research at the interfaces between pancreatic diseases, metabolic derangements, nutrition and gut function.

Orthopaedics

Research in this field develops tools for depicting patient density data post-operation, patient-specific models for computer-assisted surgery, software for a surgical training simulator and tooling for bone graft harvesting. In the clinic, these researchers are engaged in radiostereometric analysis to evaluate the microscopic motion of total hip replacement components.

Otorhinolaryngology (ORL)

Our diverse research group is composed of surgeons, medical fellows, scientists, research nurses and medical students. The focus of our research has been the interaction between the local immunity of the nasal and sinus mucosa and the microbes that are associated with chronic rhinosinusitis. Our research team is currently extending our investigation of the role of the microbiome in the pathogenesis of conditions from the nasal sinuses into other areas of the head, neck and respiratory system, such as olfactory function, the stability of the upper and lower microbiome in patients with cystic fibrosis, the oral mucosa and the middle ear mucosa.

Learn more about the Douglas Research Group

Paediatric Orthopaedics

Our group focuses on clinical, epidemiological and translational research across a range of Paediatric Orthopaedic conditions.

Plastic surgery

Researchers in this field aim to advance the specialty of plastic and reconstructive surgery through high quality research underpinned by sound clinical knowledge. Current research ranges from basic science projects growing full thickness skin the lab and developing hand held devices to diagnose skin cancer, through to clinical research to improve the care and long term outcomes of plastic surgery patients.

Surgical and translational research

These researchers aim to improve the outcomes of patients with surgical diseases within New Zealand and beyond, through excellent research, technology and collaboration.

Learn more about the STaR Centre

Surgical technologies and medical devices

Our research aims to develop and trial novel technologies and medical devices for unmet needs affecting surgical patients.