Rate My Professor Abby Dunlop

Abby Dunlop is a Research Fellow in the Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice at the University of Otago, Wellington, part of the Faculty of Medicine within the Health Sciences Division. Her qualifications include a BA, BMid, and DPH. In this role, she conducts qualitative research aimed at enhancing patient safety and experiences in primary health care. One key project under her involvement is 'Managing medicines after hospital discharge,' which explores the experiences of older New Zealanders managing multiple medicines following hospital release. The study features interviews lasting 20-30 minutes with eligible participants aged 65 and older on five or more regular medicines, discharged from Wellington region hospitals, to identify challenges in obtaining prescriptions and understanding changes. Participants receive a $50 grocery voucher, and contact is facilitated through Abby Dunlop at abby.dunlop@otago.ac.nz or +64 4 832 3279.

Dunlop also contributes to the 'We need to talk about polypharmacy: optimising multiple medication use by older adults' project, analyzing video-recordings of medicine review consultations in primary care with older Māori and Pacific patients aged 55 and over on four or more medications, as well as other older patients aged 65 and over. The research incorporates interviews with health professionals and patients to evaluate the acceptability of medication reviews and educational resources, and to pinpoint communication patterns influencing shared decision-making on polypharmacy. Her publication record includes co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles such as 'Young peoples’ perspectives about care in a youth-friendly general practice clinic' (2021, Journal of Primary Health Care), 'Therapist Voices on a Youth Mental Health Pilot' (2023, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health), 'Young People Talk About Digital Support for Mental Health: An Online Survey of 15–30-Year Olds in New Zealand' (2024, Health Expectations), and ''Every strategy needs to be contributing to erasing the stigma': Māori and Pacific young peoples’ perspectives on testing for sexually transmitted infections via an online service' (2024, Sexual Health). Additional works address sexual healthcare experiences and barriers to STI testing among Māori and non-Māori youth in New Zealand. These contributions focus on youth mental health, sexual health equity for Māori and Pacific populations, and medicines management in vulnerable groups.