Rate My Professor Janice Chew-Harris

Dr. Janice Chew-Harris is a Research Fellow in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Division. She earned her PhD from the University of Otago Christchurch in 2016, with a thesis titled 'Biomarkers of Kidney Function; Validity of Estimates in Clinical Practice.' Her earlier qualifications include a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMLSc) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science (PgDipMLSc) with Distinction. Before transitioning to research, she served as a Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist in Clinical Biochemistry at Canterbury District Health Board starting in June 2012. She began her postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Otago in April 2018 and was awarded the Heart Foundation Research Fellowship in 2020. Additionally, in 2019, she received funding as an emerging researcher from the Health Research Council (HRC) of New Zealand. Dr. Chew-Harris is affiliated with the Christchurch Heart Institute's Translational Biodiscovery Lab, where she supervises PhD students alongside colleagues such as Associate Professor Chris Pemberton and Professor Mark Richards.

Her research focuses on the measurement, detection, and prognostic performance of novel plasma and urinary biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, and cardiorenal syndromes. Key areas include soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), cystatin C for glomerular filtration rate estimation, erythroferrone for myocardial infarction diagnosis, and related markers like NT-proBNP signal peptide. She has authored or co-authored 46 publications, garnering over 615 citations. Notable works include 'Prognostic performance of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor for heart failure or mortality in Western and Asian patients with acute breathlessness' (2024, International Journal of Cardiology), 'Influence of Protein Glycosylation on the Measurement of Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor' (2025, The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine), 'Lean mass modulates glomerular filtration rate in males of normal and extreme body composition' (2014), 'The relative effects of fat versus muscle mass on cystatin C and estimates of renal function in healthy young men' (2012), and 'The performance of contemporary cystatin C-based GFR equations in investigating potential renal injury in patients with respiratory disease' (2014). Her contributions advance risk stratification, early detection, and therapy guidance in acute and progressive cardiac and renal conditions, with expertise in clinical biochemistry, protein chemistry, and body composition analysis.