Rate My Professor Rachel Kinnaird

Rachel Kinnaird serves as the Gross Anatomy Manager in the Department of Anatomy within the Division of Health Sciences at the University of Otago. In this role, she leads a team of four staff members responsible for managing cadaveric material donated through the University's Body Bequest Programme. Their duties include embalming, dissecting, and plastinating body parts and organs for use in teaching and research, as well as setting up teaching laboratories and maintaining clean facilities. Kinnaird emphasizes the importance of respecting donors and their families while maximizing the educational value of the donations to honor their legacy.

Kinnaird joined the University of Otago in 2015, relocating from Wellington where she worked as a Forensic Autopsy Technician. Motivated by the suspected suicide of a colleague in her previous workplace, she has prioritized staff mental health and wellbeing. Upon joining, she addressed a short-staffed and stressed team by partnering with Human Resources for team development exercises, including personality profiles, goal-setting, and collaboration-building activities. She established support systems such as a photo competition for wellbeing images during Mental Health Awareness Week, Kudos cards for positive feedback, gumboot decorating in support of the i am hope charity's Gumboot Friday, conversation starter kits in the tearoom, and lunch-time massages. Her team benefits from one-on-one support via Psychology Associates and pastoral care from occupational health professionals. In 2019, Kinnaird received the University of Otago Excellence Award in Health and Safety (Individual) for fostering a healthy work environment and raising mental health awareness. She advises managers to listen actively, build genuine connections, and seek expert assistance when necessary. Her philosophy is summed up in the quote: “Have courage, work hard, be kind.”