Rate My Professor Eileen McKinlay

Eileen McKinlay is a Professor in the Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice at the University of Otago, Wellington, and serves as Director of the Centre for Interprofessional Education within the Division of Health Sciences. A registered nurse holding a Master of Arts, she leads the delivery of interprofessional education programmes, including rural immersion initiatives at Tairāwhiti and Te Tai Poutini. Her research focuses on interprofessional education, encompassing international collaborative studies funded by the Swedish Research Council involving Sweden, Norway, Australia, and New Zealand. Additional areas include diabetes prevention and management through primary health care and community initiatives, new models of primary health care such as extended primary care pharmacy roles in an Health Research Council-funded study, youth health care with emphasis on sexual and reproductive health, and arthritis care originating in pharmacy settings. McKinlay was promoted to Professor in February 2025 alongside other primary health care academics and delivered her Inaugural Professorial Lecture titled 'Growing great teams' in September 2025. She also holds the role of WITI Convenor.

McKinlay's scholarly contributions are extensive, with over 3,000 citations documented on ResearchGate and key publications demonstrating significant impact in her field. Notable works include 'Case study observational research: a framework for conducting case study research where observation data are the focus' (2017, 653 citations), 'Observation of interprofessional collaborative practice in primary care teams: an integrative literature review' (2015, 551 citations), and 'Telehealth consultations in general practice during a pandemic lockdown: survey and interviews on patient experiences and preferences' (2020, 361 citations), all published in high-impact journals such as Qualitative Health Research, International Journal of Nursing Studies, and BMC Family Practice. Recent publications feature 'Launching a new interprofessional education programme in a rural setting: a qualitative study of the first two years' (2025, Journal of Primary Health Care), 'Nurse practitioners in New Zealand: An integrative review of clinical practice and involvement in policy' (2025, Collegian), and 'Participant experiences of the Knee Care for Arthritis through Pharmacy Service (KneeCAPS)' (2026, Osteoarthritis & Cartilage Open). Her work advances collaborative practice, patient-centered care models, and health professional education, influencing primary health care delivery and interprofessional teamwork in New Zealand and internationally.