Rate My Professor Anja Mizdrak

Dr Anja Mizdrak is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago's Wellington campus, within the Faculty of Medicine. She holds an undergraduate degree in Human Sciences from the University of Oxford, where her interest in public health originated. Before joining Otago, she completed her DPhil, focusing on the impact of health-related food taxes and subsidies in the United Kingdom, particularly their differential effects by household income. Mizdrak joined the University of Otago in 2017 to contribute to the Burden of Disease Epidemiology, Equity and Cost-Effectiveness Programme (BODE³). Currently, she is involved in prominent projects such as 'Seeking the Transport Sweet Spot: health, equity, and zero carbon,' led by Associate Professor Caroline Shaw, and 'Prioritising Māori health and equity: a critical approach to modelling,' led by Dr Melissa McLeod. Her career emphasizes the integration of quantitative methods to address pressing public health challenges.

Anja Mizdrak specializes in simulation modelling and quantitative analysis in public health research. Her work encompasses key areas including alcohol consumption and policy, transport and active travel, physical activity promotion, nutrition interventions, and COVID-19 impacts. She investigates the utility of modelling for public health policy and practice, while evaluating the broader societal ramifications of health behaviors and interventions, such as influences on inequities and environmental sustainability. Select key publications include Teng et al. (2019), 'Impact of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes on purchases and dietary intake: Systematic review and meta-analysis'; Mizdrak et al. (2023), 'Assessing the health impacts of changes in active transport: An updated systematic review'; Shaw et al. (2024), 'Policy approaches to decarbonising the transport sector in Aotearoa New Zealand: Modelling equity, population health, and health-system effects,' in The Lancet Planetary Health; Bergen et al. (2024), 'The effectiveness of secondary-school based interventions on the future physical activity of adolescents in Aotearoa New Zealand: A modelling study'; and Chambers et al. (2024), 'Estimated alcohol-attributable health burden in Aotearoa New Zealand.' With over 3,420 citations on Google Scholar, her contributions significantly shape evidence-based public health strategies in New Zealand and internationally.