Rate My Professor Mandy Phipps-Green

Mandy Phipps-Green holds a BA (Hons) in Anthropology from the University of Otago and an MSc in Forensic Science from the University of Auckland. For 15 years, she served as an Assistant Research Fellow in the Merriman Lab within the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Otago, focusing on the genetics of complex diseases, particularly gout. Her practical research experience encompassed data analysis, database management, genotyping techniques such as PCR and DNA extraction, gel electrophoresis, and molecular genetics. She contributed significantly to numerous peer-reviewed publications advancing the understanding of gout pathogenesis. Key works include 'A genome-wide association analysis reveals new pathogenic pathways in gout' (2024), 'The development and evaluation of dose-prediction tools for allopurinol therapy (Easy-Allo tools)' (2024), 'Association of Gout Polygenic Risk Score With Age at Disease Onset and Tophaceous Disease in European and Polynesian Men With Gout' (2023), 'Amplification of Inflammation by Lubricin Deficiency Implicated in Incident, Erosive Gout Independent of Hyperuricemia' (2023), 'Population-specific influence of SLC2A9 genotype on the urate response to an acute purine load' (2013), and 'The impact of genetic variability in urate transporters on oxypurinol pharmacokinetics' (2022). These studies explored genome-wide associations, polygenic risk scores, urate transporter genetics, and population-specific variants, particularly in Polynesian populations, contributing to insights into gout susceptibility, treatment responses, and inflammatory mechanisms.

In April 2022, Mandy Phipps-Green joined the Research Services Unit of the University of Otago Library as a Research Services Librarian. In this role, she administers OUR Archive, the University's institutional repository for research outputs, promoting open access and open science principles. She maintains strong interests in biomedical sciences, humanities, and data science skills. Her transition from hands-on genetic research to library research support underscores her expertise in research data management and open scholarship, bridging laboratory science with institutional knowledge dissemination.