Rate My Professor Liz Erickson

Liz Erickson serves as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Physiology at the University of Otago, within the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences in the Health Sciences Division. She plays an integral role in undergraduate education, acting as convener for PHSL251 Exploring Human Physiology and lecturing in courses including PHSL233 Cellular, GI and Renal Physiology, PHSL232 Cardiovascular and Respiratory Physiology, and HUBS192 Human Body Systems 2. Additionally, Liz Erickson provides essential support for Pacific Island students as one of the department's designated Pacific Island Support coordinators, alongside Abigail Walker. This role involves offering academic, pastoral care, advocacy, and assistance with scholarships in partnership with the University of Otago's Pacific Islands Centre. Her office is situated in Room G01 of the Scott Building, with telephone +64 3 479 7337.

Prior to her current position, Liz Erickson was associated with the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago, contributing to research on complementary feeding in infants, particularly modified baby-led weaning strategies through the BLISS randomized controlled trial. Her key publications include 'Impact of a Modified Version of Baby-Led Weaning on Infant Food and Nutrient Intakes: The BLISS Randomized Controlled Trial' (Nutrients, 2018), 'Impact of a Modified Version of Baby-Led Weaning on Dietary Variety and Food Preferences in Infants' (Nutrients, 2018), 'Impact of a modified version of baby-led weaning on iron intake and status: A randomised controlled trial' (Nutrients, 2018), 'How different are baby-led weaning and conventional weaning? Parents' views from the internet' (BMJ Open, 2016), 'A Baby-Led Approach to Eating Solids and Risk of Choking' (Nutrients, 2016), and 'Effect of a Baby-Led Approach to Complementary Feeding on Infant Growth and Overweight: A Randomized Clinical Trial' (JAMA Pediatrics, 2017). She received a University of Otago Master's scholarship for this work. In physiology education, she co-authored 'An undergraduate physiology teaching laboratory' in Advances in Physiology Education (advance online publication), focusing on innovative teaching methods such as sonography for heart size determinants. Liz Erickson was honored with the 2025 IPPSER Fellow Award.