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About Alesha
Professor Alesha Smith is a Professor in the School of Pharmacy within the Faculty of Health Professional Programmes at the University of Otago, holding the positions of Co-Deputy Dean and Associate Dean (Postgraduate Programmes). She obtained her BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Otago and her PhD from the University of Queensland. Her academic career began as a Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Queensland from January 2006 to June 2014, during which she also served as a Senior Researcher in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Southampton from August 2008 to February 2009. Joining the University of Otago in July 2014 as an Associate Professor, she was promoted to full Professor in December 2025. Smith teaches across all pharmacy programmes, leading curriculum innovation and assessment design in areas such as pharmacist prescribing and advanced clinical practice. She collaborates extensively with Te Whatu Ora, primary health organisations, community pharmacies, and national agencies to develop operational tools for medicines management and workforce development.
Smith's research focuses on pharmacoepidemiology and clinical pharmacy, particularly investigating the quality use of medicines through studies on medicine utilization patterns over time, across populations and jurisdictions, and evaluating non-medical prescribing in New Zealand, including pharmacist and nurse roles. Her specialisations include medicines optimisation, health data analytics, big data applications in health informatics, and equitable models of care to improve safe and effective medicine use across Aotearoa New Zealand. Her work has been funded by the Health Research Council, Te Niwha, ACC, government, and industry partners, contributing to data-informed clinical decision-making, system performance, and health equity. Key publications include 'Timing of antidepressant use influences long term functional status in New Zealand stroke patients: A retrospective population level study' (2026, Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand), 'Prioritising culturally appropriate interventions to increase antenatal immunisation in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Delphi study' (2025, Journal of Primary Health Care), 'Providing over-the-counter vaginal oestrogen in New Zealand: A cross-sectional study of pharmacists' views' (2025), 'The Southern Primary Care Research Network 3 years on: Reflections from the end of the beginning' (2025, Journal of Primary Health Care), and 'Avoiding anti-inflammatories: a randomised controlled trial testing the effect of an eHealth information package on primary healthcare patient medication knowledge and behaviour in Aotearoa New Zealand' (2024). In March 2026, she delivered her Inaugural Professorial Lecture titled 'From paper to platform: Designing healthcare for a digital future,' highlighting her contributions to digital health innovation and multidisciplinary policy impact.
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