Rate My Professor Nelly Rentta

Dr Neilenuo Nelly Rentta is a Research Fellow in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand, within the Health Environment Infection Research Unit (HEIRU) and the Health Protection Aotearoa Research Centre. She earned her MBBS, Diplomate of the National Board (DNB) in General Surgery from India, and Diploma in Public Health (DPH) from the University of Otago. With a clinical foundation, Rentta trained and worked as a general surgeon before pursuing public health studies at the University of Otago, Wellington. In her current role, she conducts research on infectious diseases, contributing to evidence-based public health strategies in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Rentta's academic interests center on infectious disease surveillance, prevention and management of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, housing and health linkages, meningococcal disease elimination, and environmental health risks such as nitrate and nitrite exposure in drinking water and cancers. She led the authorship of the Aotearoa New Zealand Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management of Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease: 2024 Update. Key publications include 'Medical Treatment for Rheumatic Heart Disease: A Narrative Review' (Rentta et al., 2022), 'Structured review of primary interventions to reduce group A streptococcal pharyngitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis' (Bennett et al., 2021), 'Are we ready to eliminate invasive meningococcal disease in Aotearoa New Zealand?' (Kvalsvig et al., 2023), and the Cochrane protocol 'Exposure to nitrate and nitrite in drinking water and cancers' (Chambers et al., 2024). Recent conference contributions feature 'A total system review of infectious disease surveillance in Aotearoa New Zealand' at the Infectious Diseases & Pandemic Preparedness Summit (Rentta et al., 2025) and the Communicable Diseases and Immunisation Conference (2025). Through these efforts and participation in Te Niwha-funded projects, Rentta supports advancements in disease surveillance and policy.