Rate My Professor Bernadette Jones

Bernadette Jones is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington, within the Faculty of Medicine and the Division of Health Sciences. Affiliated with the iwi Ngā Wairiki and Ngāti Apa, she holds qualifications including a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Otago, Registered General Obstetric Nurse (RGON), Diploma in Public Health (DPH), and Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health (PGDipPH) with Honours. Her academic career at the University of Otago has spanned research fellow and lecturer roles focused on Hauora Māori, culminating in her promotion to Research Associate Professor in 2024. Jones specializes in research employing Kaupapa Māori methodologies to address health disparities, with key interests in Māori health and wellbeing, health and disability inequities, long-term conditions, respiratory health, paediatric asthma, and indigenous health services.

Jones has made significant contributions through numerous publications and commissioned reports. Notable works include 'He Māramatanga Huangō: Asthma health literacy for Māori children in New Zealand' (2015, with T.R. Ingham et al.), a commissioned report for the Ministry of Health and Asthma Foundation; 'An indigenous approach to explore health-related experiences among Māori parents: The Pukapuka Hauora asthma study' (2013, BMC Public Health); 'Whānau Tuatahi: Māori community partnership research using a Kaupapa Māori methodology' (2010, MAI Review); and 'Damp mouldy housing and early childhood hospital admissions for acute respiratory infection: a case control study' (2019, Thorax, with T. Ingham et al.). Her research also covers topics such as pulmonary rehabilitation uptake among Māori with COPD (2016, International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), inequities for Tāngata Whaikaha Māori (2022, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health), and the impacts of COVID-19 on disabled people (2020, New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy). With research cited extensively, her work influences health equity discussions, particularly in indigenous contexts, through community-based studies and contributions to primary health care research.