Rate My Professor Lynley Anderson

Professor Lynley Anderson is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Bioethics within the University of Otago's Faculty of Medicine. Trained initially as a physiotherapist, she holds a Diploma in Physiotherapy, a Master of Health Sciences (1998) with a thesis on knowledge and power in the clinical setting, and a PhD (2005) on ethics and the provision of sports medicine at the elite level in New Zealand, all from the University of Otago. She joined the Bioethics Centre as a Junior Research Fellow in 1995, advancing to Associate Professor in 2016 and full Professor in 2022. Anderson served as Head of the Department of Bioethics from 2017 to 2022, Deputy Dean and Acting Dean of the Dunedin School of Medicine, and chaired the Health Research Council Ethics Committee until mid-2019. She was also the founding co-editor of the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry.

Her research interests encompass clinical ethics, sports medicine ethics, ethical codes, reproductive ethics, professional development, and medical education. Key contributions include authoring codes of ethics for the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Medicine, the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand, and co-developing the Code of Professional Conduct for Medical Students at the Universities of Auckland and Otago (2010). Notable publications include 'Transwomen in elite sport: scientific and ethical considerations' (2019, Journal of Medical Ethics), 'From Persuasion to Coercion: Responding to the Reluctant Patient in Rehabilitation' (2016, Physical Therapy), 'Supporting minority cultures during initial engagements with body donors in the dissecting room: A pilot study' (2025, Anatomical Sciences Education), and 'Ethical issues concerning UK veterinary surgeons practicing in equine sports medicine' (2025, Equine Veterinary Journal). Anderson convened professional development for second- and third-year medical students, taught bioethics across health professional programs, and delivered her Inaugural Professorial Lecture 'Ethical and professional practice: From classroom to clinic' in 2025. She retired on 28 November 2025 after 30 years at Otago.