Rate My Professor: Ben Beaglehole | University of Otago

About Ben

Ben Beaglehole is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, within the Faculty of Medicine. He also serves as a psychiatrist at the Anxiety Disorders Service for the Canterbury District Health Board. Beaglehole earned his MB ChB from the University of Otago, holds Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP), and obtained his PhD from the University of Otago in 2023, with a thesis titled "The psychological impacts of the Canterbury Earthquakes."

His research specializations include the longer-term outcomes of mood disorders and interventions designed to increase the likelihood of response and remission. Beaglehole examines the psychological effects of natural disasters, the application of ketamine for treatment-resistant mood and anxiety disorders, and the use of large databases to explore the impacts of compulsory treatment. As study lead, he directs the Ketamine and Bipolar Depression study and the Ketamine and Behavioural Activation Therapy study at the Department of Psychological Medicine.

Beaglehole has an extensive publication record addressing mental health in crisis situations and innovative treatments. Notable works include "Psychological distress and psychiatric disorder after natural disasters: systematic review and meta-analysis" published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2018; "Psychological distress, anxiety, family violence, suicidality, and wellbeing in New Zealand during the COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study" in PLoS One in 2020; "A systematic review of the psychological impacts of the Canterbury earthquakes on mental health" in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health in 2019; and recent publications such as "Hope for neurotic disorders: A summary of New Zealand research on the development of biomarkers and novel treatments" in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2026, "Mental health service utilization after natural disasters: A systematic review" in Psychiatric Services in 2026, and "Reappraisal of the hype and hope offered by psilocybin treatment of depression" in the New Zealand Medical Journal in 2025.