Rate My Professor Mei Zhang

Associate Professor Mei Zhang serves as a Research Associate Professor in Clinical Pharmacology within the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch. She is jointly employed by Toxicology at Canterbury Health Laboratories. Trained initially as a medical doctor in China, she earned an MB from Hefei Medical College, an MMed from Beijing, and a PhD from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Otago. Her doctoral thesis examined chiral studies of the metabolism of formoterol and salmeterol in humans.

Mei Zhang's academic interests center on clinical pharmacology, with a focus on developing high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry assays for quantifying drugs and their metabolites in biological matrices such as plasma and breast milk. These methods support various research projects in the department, including pharmacokinetic studies of antibiotics, anticoagulants, anti-rheumatic drugs, and micronutrient interactions. Notable publications include Alamri et al. (2025) on rivaroxaban plasma concentrations in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring; Kew et al. (2025) investigating broad-spectrum micronutrient formulations and drug interactions in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology; Spangehl et al. (2022) demonstrating higher vancomycin tissue concentrations via intraosseous injection in the Journal of Arthroplasty; Everts et al. (2021) on probenecid effects on cephalexin in the Journal of Infection; Stamp et al. (2011) on using allopurinol above creatinine clearance-based doses in Arthritis & Rheumatism; Stamp et al. (2009) on determinants of red blood cell methotrexate polyglutamate concentrations in Arthritis & Rheumatism; and Zhang et al. (2013) on a HPLC method for triazole antifungals in human plasma. Additional contributions cover free flucloxacillin pharmacokinetics, oxypurinol measurements, and metformin monitoring. Her analytical expertise enhances therapeutic drug monitoring and clinical trial outcomes in medicine.