Rate My Professor Judith McHugh

Judith McHugh serves as an Assistant Research Fellow in the University of Otago Medical School and as an Administrator in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago. Originally trained as a registered nurse, she brings extensive experience in community health, wellbeing, care, and support roles to her academic and administrative positions. McHugh earned her Master of Health Sciences (MHealSc) from the University of Otago in 2019. Her master's thesis, titled 'For Love, Not Money! A study of health-related decision-making in a group of female healthcare assistants who work in residential aged care and who live in low-income households,' explored critical issues in caregiving and socioeconomic factors influencing health decisions among low-income healthcare workers. This work reflects her commitment to understanding the challenges faced by those in care roles, particularly in aged care settings.

McHugh's research interests are primarily focused on public health and primary health care. Her publications demonstrate a strong emphasis on wellbeing, rural health, and the experiences of healthcare workers and aging populations in New Zealand. Notable works include 'Conceptualising wellbeing among health-care workers during the Covid-19 pandemic' (Health, 2025, co-authored with Paul Trotman, Helen D. Nicholson, and Kelby Smith-Han), which utilized interviews with 57 healthcare professionals across multiple countries to analyze wellbeing through Capability Theory, identifying key capabilities such as positive relationships, professional identity, and effective care provision. She also co-authored 'Rurality and latent precarity: Growing older in a small rural New Zealand town' (Journal of Rural Studies, 2023) and 'Wellbeing and health in a small New Zealand rural community: Assets, capabilities and being rural-fit' (Journal of Rural Studies, 2022), both with Chrystal Jaye, Fiona Doolan-Noble, and Lincoln C. Wood. These studies examine assets and challenges in rural communities, including precarity among older residents. Through her research and administrative contributions in the Division of Health Sciences' medical programs, McHugh supports teaching, clinical practice, and investigations into mental and psychological health aspects intertwined with primary care.