Rate My Professor Matthew (Matt) Kelly

Matthew Kelly is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington, within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Division. Listed under General Medicine, he holds expertise as an infectious diseases physician affiliated with Infection Services at Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast, and Hutt Valley. His professional focus encompasses clinical practice in general medicine alongside academic contributions to infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and hospital infrastructure improvements.

Kelly's research specializations include strategies to reduce healthcare-associated infections, particularly through antimicrobial stewardship and redesigned hospital environments. He led interventions at Hutt Valley District Health Board to curb inappropriate urine testing in older adults, implementing education campaigns and guideline adherence as part of the Choosing Wisely initiative. This effort achieved a 36% decrease in urine cultures requested and a 49% reduction in treatments for asymptomatic bacteriuria, detailed in the New Zealand Medical Journal publication 'Reducing inappropriate urine testing at Hutt Valley District Health Board using Choosing Wisely principles' (2019). He collaborated on the analysis and design of these measures. Additionally, Kelly co-authored 'Infection, ageing and patient rights: Time for single-occupancy hospital rooms' (2024), advocating for individual patient rooms to safeguard vulnerable populations from cross-infections. His contributions extend to national rotavirus surveillance efforts in New Zealand hospitals, supporting public health monitoring. Kelly has influenced discourse via opinion pieces in The Conversation and 1News, urging New Zealand to phase out multi-bed hospital rooms for better patient safety and infection control. As a proponent of evidence-based practices, his work bridges clinical medicine, ethics, and policy to enhance hospital safety standards.