New Dean for the Faculty of Health
An international expert in orthopaedics, public health, and digital transformation is looking forward to opening new horizons and partnerships for the Faculty of Health.
Professor Markus Melloh starts as Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s new Dean of Health on September 1, following a two-week stint in MIQ.
Markus has an international reputation in public health as well as musculoskeletal health. He holds two PhDs, one in Sports Medicine from the Charité/Humboldt University Berlin and one in Orthopaedic Surgery from the University of Otago.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to move back to New Zealand, a country I fell in love with more than a decade ago,” says Markus.
As well as working for the Dunedin School of Medicine, he has worked at Australian and European universities, and most recently as the Associate Dean Research & Development, as well as the Foundation Director of the Institute of Health Sciences, and a Professor of Public Health, at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences’ School of Health Professions.
Markus also holds a Master of Public Health and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Leadership and Governance in Higher Education from the University of Zurich and a Specialist MBA in Strategic Planning from Edinburgh Business School.
His focus areas will include fostering civic engagement with local communities, enabling the growth and influence of Māori and Pasifika staff and students, and developing a range of new partnerships here and internationally.
Along with his international reputation and outreach, Markus’s strengths and experience in integration and digital transformation are going to be key to his new role.
He was Deputy Director of Zurich University’s Digital Health Lab, and a Board Member of the Zurich Digital Initiative, and will move to Associate International Board Member roles for both.
In addition, he is the founder of a spin-off company working across the sectors of health, physics, engineering, and life sciences, and holds patents from the United States and Europe on dynamic real-time 3D pressure measurement in biological systems.
Markus has been Principal Investigator on National Health and Medical Research Centre Public Health Capacity Building and Health Promotion Intervention Project grants in both Australia and Switzerland. He is also Co-Chair of the International Task Force on Diagnosis and Management of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis that recently won the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine Clinical Prize.
Markus will report to Professor Ehsan Mesbahi, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Faculties of Science, Health, Engineering, Architecture and Design Innovation.
Acting Dean Associate Professor Kathy Holloway will be returning to her role as Head of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Practice after nine months in the Acting Dean role, with the number of equivalent fulltime students (EFTS) currently sitting at 110 per cent of target. A futher key achievement during her time in this role includes the Faculty being the first to have the role of Associate Dean Māori approved, with the appointment process now underway.
In addition to her role as Acting Dean, Associate Professor Holloway was Deputy Chairperson and Acting Chairperson of the Nursing Council of New Zealand during 2021, and was also part of a panel to review the Otago University Centre for Postgraduate Nursing Studies in June.
Highlights for Associate Professor Holloway include seeing the first cohort of Bachelor of Health students graduate in May, the second cohort of Bachelor of Midwifery students underway and the first cohort of Master of Nursing Practice and Master of Health Psychology Practice students start this year.
During her time in the Acting Dean’s role, faculty members also achieved considerable accolades. This included the Health Services Research Centre’s grant from the Ministry of Health of $1.18m over 1 year for a Longitudinal study of the impact of COVID-19 on people in Aotearoa New Zealand, led by Dr Lynne Russell and Dr Mona Jeffreys, and supported by Dr Kirsten Smiler, Dr Marianna Churchward, Dr Megan Pledger, Claire O’Loughlin, Dr Maite Irurzun Lopez, Dr Janet McDonald, Jackie Cumming, Fiona McKenzie, Conroy Wong, and Dr Lis Ellison-Loschmann.
Dr Jeffreys was also awarded funding for her research to measure primary health care use and funding in general practice, for practices with differing levels of high needs patients (one of only one of eight applicants who received funding from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners).
Professor Colin Simpson co-authored a study showing the Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccines were linked to substantial reduction in hospitalisations, published in Lancet, and which received the Health Data Research UK Impact award this year.
Other notable mentions of Faculty success during Associate Professor Holloway’s time in the role include:
- The School of Health hosted the International Society for Critical Health Psychology’s (ISCHP) 12th Biennial Conference (22-25 August), bringing together scholars and practitioners with an interest in critical health psychology from across the world
- Colin Simpson co-hosted the Innovations in Applied Data Symposium on 3 June, with Andrew Sporle, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Aucklan
- Karen McBride-Henry was elected to the Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand Board and is the only nurse on the board
- Bev Lawton was a finalist in the Welly awards - Education, held March 17
- Eva Neely received a VUW Early Career Teaching Award, and Dr Ágnes Szabó received a VUW Early Career Research Award
- Cassandra Burton-Wood, Alex Walker, and Jess Shaw received VUW Te Rautaki Maruako Tutor Excellence Award
- Tara Officer won the Graduate Women Wellington Career Development Award
- Bev Lawton and team received a public thank-you in parliament for the HPV self-testing work and its impact at the Health (National Cervical Screening Programme) Amendment Bill — Third Reading (Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall and Dr Shane Reti)
- Helen Rook was the key organiser in the Aotearoa Ireland Research Event held in August with presentations from Karen McBride-Henry and Brian Robinson