Rate My Professor Ailsa McGregor

Associate Professor Ailsa McGregor serves as the inaugural Head of the Faculty of Health Professional Programmes within the Division of Health Sciences at the University of Otago. She earned a BSc (Hons) from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from the University of Glasgow. McGregor's career commenced in the pharmaceutical industry, where she worked as a research scientist at Novartis Pharma AG in Switzerland and as a senior research fellow at the Fujisawa Institute of Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, managing projects on central nervous system disorders including stroke and vascular dementia. In 2004, she relocated to New Zealand, joining the University of Auckland as a research fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and later advancing to senior lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and principal investigator at the Centre for Brain Research, leading research on neurodegenerative diseases, neuroprotection, and regeneration. She transitioned to the University of Otago in 2016 as a senior lecturer in clinical pharmacy at the School of Pharmacy, progressed to Associate Professor, held the position of Associate Dean for Research in the Division of Health Sciences for 18 months, and assumed her current leadership role in 2025.

McGregor's academic interests center on neuropharmacology, neurodegeneration, and repair, particularly enhancing health outcomes for individuals with neurological conditions such as stroke and Huntington’s disease. Her translational research integrates preclinical models for clinical trial proof-of-principle with big data analyses of patient populations to refine animal models, complemented by qualitative methods including questionnaire-based studies, retrospective medicines audits, and grounded theory analysis. Notable publications include "Allopregnanolone regulates neurogenesis and depressive-like behaviour in a model of stress-induced reduced neurogenesis" (Evans et al., Neuropsychopharmacology, 2012), "Delayed varenicline administration reduces inflammation and improves functional recovery after stroke in male mice" (Chen et al., Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 2017), "Varenicline improves motor and cognitive symptoms in early Huntington's disease" (McGregor et al., Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 2016), and "Berberrubine, an attractive derivative of berberine with multiple pharmacological activities" (Li et al., Arabian Journal of Chemistry, 2024). She has received a $150,000 Health Research Council grant for developing safer lithium therapy for bipolar disorder and a Translational Research Grant for pain management innovations. McGregor teaches basic and clinical pharmacology and neuroscience, serves on the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand Council, and is a member of the Association for Women in the Sciences.