Rate My Professor Barry Borman

Professor Barry Borman is Professor of Epidemiology in the Centre for Public Health Research at Massey University’s College of Health. He holds a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Otago and possesses over 30 years of experience in applied epidemiology, perinatal epidemiology, and environmental epidemiology. From 2000 to 2008, he managed Public Health Intelligence, the epidemiology and surveillance group within New Zealand’s Ministry of Health, and previously served as a senior epidemiologist in several government agencies. Since joining Massey University around 2008, Borman has directed the Environmental Health Intelligence New Zealand (EHINZ), serving as the national hub for monitoring indicators of how the environment affects the health of New Zealanders. He has also directed the New Zealand Congenital Anomalies Registry (NZCAR), formerly known as the New Zealand Birth Defects Registry, since 1987. As New Zealand’s representative to the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research (ICBDSR) and EUROCAT, the European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies, he contributes to global birth defects monitoring efforts. Additionally, he has been a member of the Ministry of Health Coronavirus Statistical Advisory Group and leads projects such as occupational disease surveillance indicators funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand from 2009 to 2011.

Borman’s research specializations encompass biostatistics, environmental health, birth defects epidemiology, public health surveillance, the use of national health datasets and record linkage, investigations of disease clusters, and the translation of epidemiological research into policy development and health sector decision-making. His key publications include “A feasibility study investigating the risk of prediabetes among children in New Zealand” (Scientific Reports, 2025, with R. Tupai-Firestone et al.); “Case–Control Study of Congenital Anomalies: Study Methods and Nonresponse Bias Assessment” (Birth Defects Research, 2025, with A. Eng et al.); “Mandatory fortification with folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects: a case study of Australia and New Zealand” (Child's Nervous System, 2023, with L. Thurston and C. Bower); “Environmental Health Intelligence New Zealand (EHINZ): intelligence for public health action” (Research in Health Services & Regions, 2022, with C. Haenfling et al.); “Social vulnerability indicators for flooding in Aotearoa New Zealand” (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021, with K. Mason et al.); and “Burden of disease from second-hand smoke exposure in New Zealand” (New Zealand Medical Journal, 2016, with K. Mason). Borman maintains an extensive teaching portfolio at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, supervises MPH and PhD students, and teaches postgraduate courses in epidemiology, fostering the next generation of public health professionals.