Rate My Professor Jonathan Penno

Dr. Jonathan Penno serves as a Senior Professional Practice Fellow at the University of Otago's Centre for Rural Health, within the Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Division. An alumnus of the University of Otago, he holds the qualifications MBChB, DCH, PGDipRPHP (Distinction), and FDRHMNZ. His medical training at Otago included participation in the Rural Medical Immersion Programme (RMIP), which directed his career towards rural medicine practice and education.

Penno fulfills key educational roles as Assistant Co-ordinator for the West Coast in the Rural Postgraduate Programme and RMIP. He co-convenes the postgraduate paper GENA 728: Cardiorespiratory Medicine in Rural Settings, training students in the management of cardiorespiratory conditions in rural hospitals. In clinical practice, he works as a rural doctor at Te Nīkau Hospital and Health Centre in Greymouth on New Zealand's West Coast, managing diverse cases in a rural setting. He also supports RMIP teaching at the Hokitika centre, where students are based in rural facilities.

During his studies, Penno engaged in research on adolescent sleep. He co-authored the 2017 journal article 'Gender differences in sleep hygiene practices and sleep quality in New Zealand adolescents aged 15 to 17 years,' published in Sleep Health. This study analyzed data from New Zealand adolescents, revealing gender disparities in sleep practices and quality, and was supported by a University of Otago Health Sciences summer scholarship. Additionally, he contributed to a 2015 abstract presentation at the Sleep and Biological Rhythms conference titled 'Sleep duration and correlates of poor sleep quality in New Zealand adolescents aged 15 to 17 years,' conducted with the Department of Women's and Children's Health at Otago.

In a University of Otago news feature from August 2025, 'Rural medicine the right fit for West Coast doctor,' Penno described his work: 'Working in rural medicine is a very rewarding career... For me, it feels like the right job, in the right place.' His integrated contributions to clinical care, postgraduate education, and early research bolster rural health professional development at the University of Otago.