Rate My Professor Julian Crane

Julian Crane is Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington, within the Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Division. A general physician by training, he holds the qualifications MB BS, Dip Comm Health, FRCP, FRACP. Crane has built a distinguished career conducting epidemiological studies and clinical trials on asthma, allergic diseases, and the influence of housing conditions on respiratory health. He previously served as Deputy Head of the Department of Medicine and holds positions as Co-Director of the He Kāinga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme and Director of the Wellington Asthma Research Group. As a member of the steering group for the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), his research has contributed to global understandings of respiratory epidemiology.

Crane's investigations cover indoor allergens, dampness, mould, temperature control, and their roles in conditions such as childhood wheezing, COPD exacerbations, and chronic respiratory diseases. He has led trials on interventions including home insulation retrofitting, heating vouchers, specialized bedding materials, and probiotics like Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 for preventing eczema, allergies, and gestational diabetes. His work extends to smoking cessation aids such as novel nicotine inhalers. With over 200 publications amassing more than 10,000 citations, standout contributions include 'Retrofitting home insulation reduces incidence and severity of chronic respiratory disease' (2022), 'Bedding materials and early infant wheezing: A randomised controlled trial' (2025, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology), 'Impact of a Heating Voucher on Health Outcomes in COPD Patients: A Randomised Controlled Trial' (2025), and 'Early pregnancy probiotic supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 may reduce the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus: a randomised controlled trial' (2017). In 2021, he was part of the team awarded New Zealand's Rutherford Medal for pioneering research linking housing improvements to better health outcomes. Crane is a member of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and the European Respiratory Society.