Rate My Professor Martin Punter

Dr Martin Punter serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington, within the Division of Health Sciences. He is also a Clinical Senior Lecturer, having joined in this capacity in January 2021. Qualified with a PhD, MBChB, FRCP, and FRACP, Punter works as a Consultant Neurologist and Senior Medical Officer in the Department of Neurology at Capital & Coast District Health Board, Wellington Regional Hospital. In his clinical role, he practices general neurology and contributes to the stroke service for Wellington and the Central Region Telestroke Network. Punter coordinates the 4th Year Medical Student Neurology Module in Wellington and acts as the ALM4/Year 4 Medicine Convenor. He supervises research students, including those investigating barriers to self-directed physiotherapy practice and telestroke assessments versus in-person evaluations for stroke reperfusion candidates.

Punter's research specializations center on stroke medicine, with particular emphasis on venous stroke, ischaemic stroke syndromes such as pontine ischaemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage outcomes compared to ischaemic stroke, stroke reperfusion therapy including tenecteplase real-world data, sex differences in stroke therapy in New Zealand, uncommon causes of ischaemic stroke, cerebral venous thrombosis including dural arteriovenous fistulas and seizures, and stroke risks and characteristics in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. His work features in multinational collaborative studies, including the RESTART randomised trial on antiplatelet therapy after intracerebral haemorrhage. Key publications include 'Tenecteplase real-world data: A three phase sequential comparison' (2023, co-authored with Anna Ranta et al.), 'Pontine ischaemic stroke syndromes' (2023), 'Sex differences in stroke reperfusion therapy in Aotearoa (New Zealand)' (2024), 'Pre-Hospital Telestroke vs Paramedic Scores to Accurately Identify Stroke Reperfusion Candidates: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial' (2022), 'SARS-CoV-2 and Stroke Characteristics: A Report From the Multinational COVID-19 Stroke Study Group' (2021), 'Risk of stroke in hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected patients: A multinational study' (2020), 'Diagnosis and management of cerebral venous thrombosis' (2018), and 'Effects of antiplatelet therapy after stroke due to intracerebral haemorrhage (RESTART): a randomised, open-label trial' (2019). Punter holds the position of Stroke Editor for Advances in Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation and is a member of the Association of British Neurologists, the Stroke Society of Australasia, and the Overseas Trained Physicians Committee of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.