Rate My Professor Leanne Te Karu

Dr Leanne Te Karu serves as Associate Dean (Māori) for the School of Pharmacy within the University of Otago's Division of Health Sciences. She holds a PhD in General Practice from the University of Auckland, MHSc with First Class Honours, Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy with Distinction, Postgraduate Certificate in Prescribing, Postgraduate Certificate in Herbal Medicines, Certificate in Hauora Māori (Level IV), and Diploma in Pharmacy with Distinction. Her academic and professional journey emphasizes clinical excellence, cultural safety, and integration of Indigenous knowledge in pharmacy practice. With broad experience across New Zealand's health and disability system, including clinical roles, governance, research, strategy, and iwi development, Dr Te Karu has held positions such as hospital pharmacist and prescribing pharmacist in primary care and marae settings.

As New Zealand's first pharmacist prescriber, Dr Te Karu specializes in optimizing medicines therapy for complex chronic conditions and unmet needs, particularly among Māori communities. Her research interests include health inequities, gout management, type 2 diabetes prescribing, and pharmacotherapy safety, reflected in key publications such as 'Inequities in people with gout: a focus on Māori (Indigenous People) of Aotearoa New Zealand' (2021, Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease), 'Colchicine: the good, the bad, the ugly and how to minimize the risks' (2024, Rheumatology), 'Gout and its management' (2024, Internal Medicine Journal), and 'Gender and Ethnic Inequities in Gout Burden and Management' (2020, Arthritis Care & Research). She co-founded the Māori Pharmacists' Association in 2003, serving as President for over a decade, and contributes to editorial and committee roles including New Zealand’s Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee. Notable awards include the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand Gold Medal (2022), Inaugural Clinical Pharmacist of the Year (2012), and Primary Healthcare Pharmacist of the Year (2020). Her appointments extend to the Prime Ministerial Pharmac Review Panel and the Tūwharetoa Iwi Māori Partnership Board, underscoring her impact on equitable health outcomes.