Rate My Professor Judy Mckenzie

Dr. Judith McKenzie, commonly referred to as Judy McKenzie, is the Haematology Research Group Leader in the Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science at the University of Otago, Christchurch. She earned her MSc from the University of Oxford and her PhD from the University of Otago. As an Honorary Fellow within the Division of Health Sciences, McKenzie has contributed to the group since its inception in 1981, when it was established within the Haematology Department at Christchurch Hospital to provide research and development expertise. The group, located adjacent to Christchurch Hospital, specializes in the immunobiology of cancer and leukaemia, employing methodologies including flow cytometry, magnetic bead technology, T cell proliferation assays, cytotoxicity assays, ELISAs, cell membrane biochemistry, solid tissue cell suspensions, dendritic cell purification, immunohistochemistry, and mammalian cell tissue culture. Under her leadership, current projects investigate myeloid derived suppressor cell numbers and function in cancer patients and the mechanisms of immunosuppression by leukaemic cells, aiming to enhance diagnosis and treatment of malignant diseases.

McKenzie's research output includes key publications such as Hock, B. D., et al. (2025), 'Impact of rheumatoid factors on the function of therapeutic monoclonals specific for PD-1/PD-L1,' Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy; Hock, B. D., et al. (2023), 'Levels and in vitro functional effects of circulating anti-hinge antibodies in melanoma patients receiving the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab,' PLoS ONE; Smith-Diaz, C., et al. (2023), 'Transcriptomics and epigenomics analysis of SKM-1 leukaemia response to Vitamin C,' Proceedings of the New Zealand Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Glubb, D. M., et al. (2011), 'NOD2 and ATG16L1 polymorphisms affect monocyte responses in Crohn's disease,' World Journal of Gastroenterology; and Geertsema, L., et al. (2011), 'The cardiovascular risk factor, soluble CD40 ligand (CD154), influences exercise-induced platelet activation,' British Journal of Sports Medicine. Her work supports clinical advancements through university-hospital collaborations and demonstrates sustained impact in haematology research.