Rate My Professor Ruth Benson

Dr. Ruth Benson is a Senior Lecturer in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery in the Department of Surgery and Critical Care at the University of Otago, Christchurch, part of the Faculty of Medicine within the Health Sciences Division. She earned her MBChB from the University of Edinburgh in 2007, completed a PhD at St George's Healthcare NHS Trust in the UK supported by a Royal College of Surgeons research fellowship, and holds qualifications including FRCS (Vascular Surgery) from England in 2019 and CCT (Vascular Surgery) in 2021. Benson trained in several academic surgical units in the UK, where she served as Surgical Speciality Lead in Vascular Surgery Research for the Royal College of Surgeons of England. She held tenure as president of the Vascular and Endovascular Research Network (VERN) collaborative research group and led National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded studies to publication. Her career includes expertise in minimally invasive procedures for vascular diseases, and she has presented research at major international vascular meetings. Currently, she leads the fourth-year medical student surgical block covering vascular and plastic surgery as well as dermatology and participates in vascular teaching events at the university.

Benson's research specializations encompass vascular and endovascular surgery, with interests in peripheral vascular diseases, carotid endarterectomy, aortic aneurysm, and related clinical challenges such as the vascular impacts of COVID-19. Her publications include 'Prevention of deep venous thrombosis post varicose vein surgery: A survey of current clinical practice in Aotearoa New Zealand' (Lim, E. T. A., Benson, R., & Laws, P., 2026, Phlebology); 'Plasma total neopterin and neopterin levels are significantly elevated in stroke patients before carotid endarterectomy surgery' (Raajasekar, S. et al., 2025, Pteridines); 'Osteoporosis risk scores to predict increased levels of care in older patients undergoing vascular surgery' (Preston, L. et al., 2025, ANZ Journal of Surgery); 'A global survey of follow up Imaging after EVAR reminds us that we are still speaking different languages' (Benson, R. A., 2025, EJVES Vascular Forum); and 'Solutions to reduce inequity for women with abdominal aortic aneurysm' (Williams, T., Benson, R., & Lyons, O. T., 2025, European Journal of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery). Additional works cover vitamin D supplementation in surgical outcomes (2024, BMJ Open) and support for randomized trials in endovascular repair. Through her contributions, Benson advances clinical practices and research in vascular surgery, influencing both academic and healthcare sectors in New Zealand and internationally.