Rate My Professor Margaret Perley

Margaret Perley serves as Head of Student Health Services at the University of Otago in Dunedin, where she oversees the provision of safe and inclusive primary health care to students who have paid the student services fee. Her professional career in healthcare spans decades, beginning with roles as a nurse and manager at the Southern District Health Board (SDHB) for 19 years. In 2006, she joined Student Health Services, progressing to her current leadership position. Under her guidance, the service operates from facilities on Walsh and Albany Streets, supporting student health needs across general practice, nursing, mental health and wellbeing, dietetics, and administration.

Perley has played a pivotal role in addressing public health challenges at the University. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led Student Health Services, emphasizing that the crisis was not over as operations resumed in mid-2020 and facilitating on-campus testing in collaboration with WellSouth in 2021. She urged students to exercise restraint and avoid large gatherings during celebrations to prevent disease transmission. In response to meningococcal disease threats, Perley promoted vaccination campaigns, noting the disease's life-threatening nature for adolescents and young adults, with efforts highlighted in 2018 and ongoing encouragements reported in subsequent years. As Acting Director in 2019, she initiated the Health Yourself campaign, delivering straightforward messages on wellbeing topics including sleep, nutrition, hydration, physical activity, and stress management, extending benefits to both students and staff. Additionally, she contributed to the University's Framework for Suicide Prevention developed by the Healthy University Advisory Group. Her leadership supports an integrated model of care that has been recognized for its effectiveness in student health delivery since its early days in 1947.