Rate My Professor Ryan Gage

Ryan Gage is a Senior Research Fellow in the Health Promotion and Policy Research Unit (HePPRU) within the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, part of the Faculty of Medicine in the Health Sciences Division. He earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Otago. His Master's thesis examined skin cancer prevention in New Zealand school-children through a Markov cost-utility model utilizing data from Kids'Cam automated wearable cameras. Gage's research specializes in using innovative wearable camera methodologies to objectively document children's real-world exposures and behaviors. Through projects like Kids'Cam, he investigates the commercial determinants of health, including children's encounters with unhealthy food and brand marketing, snacking frequency and contexts, physical activity epidemiology, screen time usage, sun protection adequacy in playgrounds and recreation spaces, and nutrition environments during journeys between home and school.

Gage's academic contributions include key publications such as 'The frequency and context of snacking among children: an objective analysis using wearable cameras' (Nutrients, 2021), 'An objective assessment of children's exposure to brand marketing in New Zealand (Kids' Cam): a cross-sectional study' (The Lancet Planetary Health, 2022), 'Wellington playgrounds uncovered: an examination of solar ultraviolet radiation and shade protection in New Zealand' (Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 2018), 'Shade in playgrounds: findings from a nationwide survey and implications for urban health policy' (Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2019), 'Kids in a candy store: an objective analysis of children’s interactions with food in convenience stores' (Nutrients, 2020), and 'National, regional, and global trends in insufficient physical activity among adults from 2000 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 507 population-based surveys with 5.7 million participants' (The Lancet, 2024). His work extends to policy-relevant areas like stakeholder perspectives on regulating marketing of unhealthy commodities, generating political priority for alcohol policy reform, socioeconomic inequalities in greenhouse gas emissions from travel, and the health impacts of transport decarbonization. As a core member of HePPRU, Gage supports evidence-based strategies to mitigate health inequities, promote child wellbeing, and inform public health interventions in Aotearoa New Zealand.