Rate My Professor Bridget Kimber

Bridget Kimber serves as Honorary Professor and Senior Clinical Research Nurse in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, within the Division of Health Sciences. Qualified as a Registered Nurse (RN), she was appointed Senior Clinical Research Nurse in 2008. Throughout her career at the University of Otago, she has contributed significantly to clinical research in psychological medicine, particularly in studies examining novel treatments for treatment-resistant mental health disorders and the psychological impacts of trauma and ageing.

Her key publications include co-authorship on 'Ketamine for treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder: double-blind active-controlled randomised crossover study' (Beaglehole et al., BJPsych Open, 2025), 'Six weeks open-label oral ketamine for patients with treatment-resistant depression' (Beaglehole et al., Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2025), 'Ketamine for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: Double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial' (Beaglehole et al., Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2024), 'Vision in former very low birthweight young adults with and without retinopathy of prematurity compared with term born controls: the NZ 1986 VLBW follow-up study' (Darlow et al., British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2018), 'Copy number variants implicate cardiac function and development pathways in earthquake-induced stress cardiomyopathy' (Lacey et al., Scientific Reports, 2018), and 'Broken heart syndrome — Is it a psychosomatic disorder?' (Lacey et al., 2014). These works explore ketamine's efficacy in resistant PTSD, OCD, and depression, visual outcomes in preterm individuals, genetic factors in stress cardiomyopathy following the Christchurch earthquakes, and psychosomatic aspects of cardiac conditions. Kimber's roles have encompassed patient screening, data collection, and coordination, as acknowledged in multiple studies including randomised controlled trials of psychotherapy for bipolar depression and micronutrient formulations for mental health. Her contributions appear in the Canterbury Health, Ageing and Life Course (CHALICE) study and various pharmacotherapy and activation therapy investigations. Listed as Honorary Professor in University of Otago Calendars from 2022 to 2024, her research output on ResearchGate includes 4 publications with 29 citations, influencing advancements in psychiatric treatment and post-trauma mental health research.