Rate My Professor Peter Larsen

Associate Professor Peter Larsen serves in the Department of Surgery and Critical Care at the University of Otago, Wellington, part of the Faculty of Medicine within the Health Sciences Division. He earned his BSc (Hons) from Victoria University of Wellington and his PhD from the University of Otago. After completing his doctorate, he held a postdoctoral fellowship at Michigan State University, focusing on the neural control of the cardiovascular system, before returning to the University of Otago Wellington campus to pursue his academic career.

Peter Larsen's research centers on clinical cardiovascular medicine, encompassing the use of biomarkers for risk stratification, management of acute myocardial infarction, applications of implanted cardiac devices, and personalized clinical care strategies. He applies cardiovascular physiology to clinical questions and supports research activities for registrars in clinical environments. His expertise spans acute coronary syndromes, biomarkers in clinical cardiology, sudden cardiac death, defibrillation, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, heart rate variability, respiratory variability, quality improvement in clinical care, and clinical cancer research. As a principal investigator and clinical cardiac physiologist in the Wellington Cardiovascular Research Group, he supervises postgraduate opportunities including studies on genetic risk scores and outcomes following acute myocardial infarction, the role of inflammation in shaping responses to acute myocardial infarction, and management of acute coronary syndromes. He has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications, such as 'Exploring Senior Emergency Physicians' Perspectives on the Inclusion of Clinical Biomarkers in Clinical Decision Rules for CT Head Imaging in Acute Head Injury' (Emergency Medicine Australasia, 2025), 'Can serum biomarkers be used to rule out significant intracranial injury following mild traumatic brain injury?' (Injury, 2022), 'Antiarrhythmic use is Associated With Increased Success and Reduced Complications of Elective DC Cardioversion' (Heart, Lung & Circulation, 2022), 'An IL8-CEA Combined Score is Stage-Specific in Colorectal Cancer' (2021), and 'Neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer: how are we choosing?' (2019). Additionally, he convenes courses like RADT212 Principles of Research in the radiation therapy programme and participates in editorial and peer-review roles, including for the New Zealand Medical Student Journal.