Rate My Professor Anita Gibbs

Professor Anita Gibbs, CQSW, PhD (Bristol), CertWSt (Open), is Professor in the Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology department at the University of Otago. Originally trained as a social worker in the United Kingdom, she worked in criminal justice settings, notably probation. Following her PhD at the University of Bristol on probation partnerships, she conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford before joining the University of Otago in 1999, where she progressed to full professorship in 2022. As a registered social worker, she facilitates a parent support group for families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and has been actively involved in advocacy to increase recognition and support for this neurodisability in New Zealand.

Gibbs' academic interests span electronic monitoring, mental health, adoption and transcultural parenting, social work research methodologies, auto-ethnography, and particularly the impacts of FASD on families and caregivers. She coordinates and teaches CRIM 201: Crime, Justice and Society, SOCI 207: Families and Society, and various courses in social work, sociology, and criminology, emphasizing family dynamics. Her contributions extend to public engagement, including free seminars for health professionals, training for Corrections staff, and input into the Ministry of Health's FASD action plan. In recognition of her efforts, she received the 2020 Critic and Conscience of Society Award, which includes $50,000 for research and related activities. Notable publications include: Gibbs, A., Smith, C., & Cole, D. (2026). Māori caregivers' experiences of parenting a person with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. AlterNative; Foster, B., & Gibbs, A. (2026). Neurodivergent patients in forensic mental health wards: Practice pointers from a scoping study. Kōtuitui; Chu, J. T. W. et al. (2026). Establishing the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder among young people in Youth Justice residences in Aotearoa, New Zealand: A study protocol. BMJ Open; and Gibbs, A. et al. (2024). 'No one believed us: no one came to help': caregivers' experiences of violence and abuse involving children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.