Professor Helen Nicholson BSc(Hons) MB ChB MD(Brist)
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, University of Otago
Professor in Anatomy, University of Otago
Otago University profile: View HERE
Otago University appointment as acting VP: view HERE and HERE
Contact:
helen.nicholson@otago.ac.nz
After graduating from the University of Bristol, Professor Nicholson worked as a doctor in hospital and community settings before taking up an academic position in the Department of Anatomy at Bristol. She moved to the University of Otago in 2000 to become Professor of Anatomy and subsequently became Head of the Department of Anatomy. In 2007 she was appointed Dean of the Otago School of Medical Sciences and in 2011 was the Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) for six months.
Professor Nicholson was appointed as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) of the University of Otago in February 2014 and became the inaugural Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement) in mid-2015. In January 2021, Professor Nicholson took up the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).
Professor Nicholson is an elected member of the Executive of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists. She has been a member of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Board and the Stakeholders Advisory Board of Education New Zealand. She is currently a member of the Council of the National University of Samoa, and the Governance groups for the Ageing Well and Healthier Lives National Science Challenges.
Research
Professor Nicholson continues to maintain an active research programme and publishes in the areas of clinical anatomy, male reproductive biology and medical education. To date she has published more than 100 journal articles and book chapters and has supervised 22 PhD and 30 Masters and Honours students.
Media Projects
With Dr Paul Trotman, she contributed to the production of two television documentaries:
‘Donated to Science’ – view trailer here
‘Practising Medicine’.
She is currently working with Dr Trotman on his latest documentary:
‘Behind the Mask’ – view trailer here
that explores the responses of health professionals across the world to Covid-19