Rate My Professor Fiona Taylor

Fiona Taylor is the Research Manager for the Health, Environment & Infection Research Unit (HEIRU) within the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington, part of the Division of Health Sciences. In this capacity, she manages research activities focused on health, environmental factors, and infectious diseases. HEIRU has contributed significantly to pandemic-related research, forming the foundation for the Health Protection Aotearoa Research Centre (HPARC), where Fiona Taylor serves as a key contact point. Her direct phone line is +64 4 832 3186, and she facilitates communications for HPARC initiatives aimed at advancing health protection strategies.

Fiona Taylor also acts as the Research Programme Administrator for Co-Search, a COVID-19 Research Collaborative established in early 2020 by researchers from the Department of Public Health. Co-Search describes the pandemic's population health effects, evaluates New Zealand's COVID-19 response in comparison to historical events like the 1918 influenza pandemic, and identifies lessons for future outbreaks. The programme, directed by Professor Michael Baker with contributions from Research Associate Professor Amanda Kvalsvig, Professor Nick Wilson, and Dr Virginia Signal as programme manager, has generated research papers, Ministry of Health reports, blogs, opinion pieces, presentations, and media interviews under her administration. Additionally, Fiona Taylor is the Administrator for the Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa (PHCC), an independent entity hosted by the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, dedicated to enhancing public health communication through expert briefings and evidence synthesis. She brings a background in economics and project management, including experience managing a public finance research programme. Fiona Taylor co-authored the Public Health Expert Briefing 'PHCC turns three: Reflecting, evaluating and advancing' in February 2026 with Simon Hales and Nick Wilson, marking the centre's achievements.