Rate My Professor Emma Heydon

Dr Emma Heydon is a Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics and Consultant Paediatrician in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dunedin) at the University of Otago, Faculty of Medicine. She possesses an impressive array of qualifications: MB ChB, BMedSc(Hons), DCH, MPhil, PhD (Cantab), and FRACP. These credentials highlight her advanced training in medicine, paediatric care, and epidemiological research, with her PhD earned at the University of Cambridge.

Her academic interests center on general paediatrics, epidemiology, and international health. Dr Heydon is a member of the Otago Global Health Institute and serves as a board member of the Himalayan Trust New Zealand. Her international health work includes a survey of iodine status and pre-diabetic status in a Sherpa population. In 2025, she was awarded an Otago Medical Research Foundation annual grant as principal investigator for the project 'Potentially avoidable hospitalisations among autistic young people in Aotearoa New Zealand.' Collaborating with co-investigators Dr Nick Bowden, Mrs Joanne Dacombe, and Professor Barry Taylor, the study analyzes nationwide hospital data to pinpoint preventable hospital admissions among autistic children and youth, focusing on subgroups by age, sex, and intellectual disability to improve health services and reduce family stress. Dr Heydon's peer-reviewed publications demonstrate her epidemiological expertise. Key contributions include: Heydon, E. E., Anderson, J. R., & Edmonds, L. K. (2019). A case of severe neonatal hypernatraemic dehydration. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health, 55(Suppl. 1), 80 (conference abstract); Haycock, P. C. et al. (2014). Leucocyte telomere length and risk of cardiovascular disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ, 349, g4227; Willeit, P. et al. (2014). Leucocyte telomere length and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: New prospective cohort study and literature-based meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 9(11), e112483; Oliver-Williams, C. T. et al. (2013). Miscarriage and future maternal cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Heart, 99, 1636-1644; Chowdhury, R. et al. (2013). Adherence to cardiovascular therapy: A meta-analysis of prevalence and clinical consequences. European Heart Journal, 34, 2940-2948. These works, conducted during her time at the University of Cambridge's Department of Public Health and Primary Care, explore critical risk factors in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and maternal health.