Rate My Professor Michael Schultz

Professor Michael Schultz holds the position of Professor of Medicine and was Head of the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago's Dunedin School of Medicine from 2016 to 2021. Since 2005, he has been a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Te Whatu Ora Southern (formerly Otago District Health Board) in Dunedin, advancing to Clinical Director of the Gastroenterology Department in early 2023. He directs the Gut Health Network, established in 2011 as a University of Otago research theme, and the Bowel Screening Program. Schultz earned his State Exam Med in 1993 from the University of Erlangen and Specialist certification in Internal Medicine in 2003 from Munich. His international training encompasses house officer roles in Manchester and London, UK (1994-1996); a research fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1996-1998); clinical and research fellowship at the University of Regensburg, Germany (1998-2004); and consultancy at KKH Wasserburg am Inn, Germany (2004-2005). He joined the University of Otago as Senior Lecturer in 2005 and was promoted to Professor in 2018.

Schultz's research specializations center on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), encompassing clinical trials, basic science investigations into host-microbe interactions, and animal models of experimental colitis. He was elected President of the New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology in 2016 and holds memberships in the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) and the German Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Notable publications include "Clinical use of E. coli Nissle 1917 in inflammatory bowel disease" (Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 2008), "Unusual manifestation of Erdheim-Chester disease involving the colon" (BMC Gastroenterology, 2011), "Physical Activity in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease" (Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 2021), and "Role of the Dietitian in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Multidisciplinary Team" (Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2025). His work has influenced IBD management through initiatives like the IBDsmart app and multidisciplinary patient care.