The University of Otago - Ōtakau Whakaihu Waka, has appointed its first wāhine Māori to the role of Dean at the Otago Medical School – the second time a wāhine has been selected for the prestigious role at Aotearoa New Zealand’s oldest university and medical school.
Professor Suzanne Pitama (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Whare) has replaced Acting Otago Medical School Dean Professor Tim Wilkinson, who filled the role for the past three years.
Professor Pitama, who is the current Dean at the University of Otago, Christchurch campus, has held many leadership roles at the university over the past 24 years, as former Director of the Māori Indigenous Health Institute (MIHI), Associate Dean Māori at the University of Otago, Christchurch, and membership of the MBChB curriculum committee, where she chaired its Hauora Māori sub-committee.
She says she is honoured to have been chosen as the second female Otago Medical School Dean, following Dame Professor Linda Holloway who held the position from 2005-2006.
“I feel privileged to step into this role in the year Otago Medical School celebrates its 150th anniversary, following in the footsteps of some of Aotearoa’s most revered and influential leaders in medical education and research.
“I look forward to contributing to the University’s ongoing commitment to Te Tiriti and leading the Otago Medical School towards a bright and sustainable future, focused on innovation, inclusivity and fostering a culture of ongoing collaboration between the Deans of all three campuses.”
Vice-Chancellor Grant Robertson is thrilled to appoint Professor Pitama to the role.
“This is an historic appointment. The University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka is the first university in Aotearoa New Zealand to appoint a wāhine Māori to lead a medical school. Suz has a passion for the University, its staff and students, alongside considerable governance and leadership experience.
“I am pleased she will be bringing her considerable talent to the position, which plays a key role in sharing the University’s stories and implementing our strategic documents Pae Tata and Vision 2040.”
Professor Pitama has dedicated more than two decades advancing Māori health research and health professional education at the University of Otago. Her work is grounded in cultural competency and safety, most notably in the development of an Indigenous Health model aimed at supporting both Indigenous and non-Indigenous health professionals to better embed cultural responsiveness into their practice.
She has significant experience in governance roles, serving on the boards of the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the Australian Medical Council, including as inaugural Chair of the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori Standing Committee. As the University of Otago representative on the LIME (Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education) Reference Group, she has collaborated with experts from New Zealand, Australia, and beyond to advance Indigenous medical education. She has also worked with the Medical Council of New Zealand in developing pre-vocational and vocational accreditation standards, reflecting her deep expertise in medical education.
Additionally, she has contributed to medical school accreditation processes, both as an internal leader at the University of Otago and as an external assessor in Australia.
A recipient of the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, her research excellence has been celebrated with the Joan Metge Medal for Indigenous medical education and the Dame Marie Clay Award for her work in educational and developmental psychology. Last year she was presented with an inaugural LIME Lifetime Achievement award.
“I have a strong commitment to medical education, stakeholder engagement, community social accountability, and leadership,” Professor Pitama says.
"My journey has equipped me with a strategic vision for the future of medical education, and an understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities within medical education and research, particularly in relation to Indigenous health, social justice and equity.”
Alongside the appointment of a new Otago Medical School Dean, the university has also appointed a new Dean for its School of Biomedical Sciences.
The current Head of the Department of Pathology at the Dunedin School of Medicine, Professor Julia Horsfield, will take up her new role in March, with Professor Lisa Matisoo-Smith continuing in the role until then.
Professor Horsfield is a biochemist and developmental geneticist who is the Academic Director and founder of the Otago Zebrafish Facility, which was established in 2009 and is used by multiple research teams across the University. She was Director of the Genetics Otago Research Centre from 2017-2021 and was Associate Dean Postgraduate for the Dunedin School of Medicine from 2015-2018.
A former Fulbright Scholarship winner (2019), she currently teaches in the Genetics Programme and in the Molecular Basis of Health and Disease BBiomedSci major and holds current Health Research Council and Marsden grants.
