
Always respectful and encouraging to all.
Ben Reshey serves as the Teaching Lab Manager in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, within the Health Sciences division at the University of Otago. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree and is responsible for managing the Pharmacology Teaching Laboratory, where he supports hands-on education for students studying pharmacology, toxicology, genetics, and molecular biology. His role involves providing technical assistance and maintaining laboratory operations, contributing significantly to both undergraduate and postgraduate training programs. Reshey has been acknowledged in several PhD theses from the department for his invaluable support as a teaching lab assistant and head of the teaching laboratory, demonstrating his dedication to fostering a conducive learning environment. In March-April 2018, the School of Pharmacy's Pulse newsletter highlighted his appointment to the Teaching Lab Manager position, marking a key milestone in his career at the institution.
Ben Reshey's research profile on Google Scholar reflects expertise in pharmacology, genetics, toxicology, and molecular biology, with over 300 citations. He has co-authored peer-reviewed publications primarily investigating genetic mechanisms underlying congenital heart defects in Down syndrome populations. Notable contributions include 'An excess of deleterious variants in VEGF-A pathway genes in Down-syndrome-associated atrioventricular septal defects' (American Journal of Human Genetics, 2012, 138 citations), which identified an excess of predicted deleterious variants in VEGF-A pathway genes; 'Genetic modifiers predisposing to congenital heart disease in the sensitized Down syndrome population' (Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, 2012, 85 citations); 'ALK2 mutation in a patient with Down's syndrome and a congenital heart defect' (European Journal of Human Genetics, 2011, 53 citations); and 'Allelic interaction between CRELD1 and VEGFA in the pathogenesis of cardiac atrioventricular septal defects' (2014, 25 citations). More recently, Reshey co-authored 'Deep brain reconditioning stimulation suppresses tinnitus-related distress in humans' (Scientific Reports, 2024), affiliated with the Brain Health Research Centre at the University of Otago, alongside Yiwen Zheng, Renelyn Sistoza Parra, Jonny Park, Huey Tieng Tan, and Paul F. Smith. These works underscore his impact on genetic and neuropharmacological research.
