Rate My Professor Sumera Akhtar

Dr. Sumera Akhtar serves as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Primary Health Care (Dunedin) within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Otago. She earned her PhD in 2021 from the University of Otago's School of Pharmacy, with a thesis entitled "Medicine and health practices of Pakistani migrant women in New Zealand." Prior qualifications include a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and an MPhil in Pharmacology. As an emerging qualitative health researcher, she has led projects examining medicine practices among migrant women, women's health issues, gestational diabetes management in South Asian women, and healthcare system navigation.

Dr. Akhtar's research focuses on health equity and improving health outcomes through health promotion and interventions, particularly addressing equity in healthcare access for minority populations, especially migrant women and children. She explores how knowledge influences medicine use and health access, aiming to reduce inequities. Her recent publications include "Informal caregiving in Pakistan: Role of women family caregivers in older people's health" (Journal of Aging Research, 2025), "Conventional medication adherence and self-treatment practices among South Asian immigrants: A qualitative study" (Journal of Primary Health Care, 2024), "Navigating pregnancy and beyond with gestational diabetes: South Asian women's experiences in New Zealand" (Australian Journal of Primary Health, 2025), "Patterns of health services and medicine utilisation by first-generation Pakistani immigrants in New Zealand" (Health Expectations, 2025), and contributions to conference proceedings on dietary beliefs of NZ South Asians at risk for cardiovascular disease (2024). She has secured significant funding, including the Health Research Council of New Zealand Research Career Development Award ($115,021) for "Improving service delivery for NZ South Asian women with gestational diabetes" and the Lottery Health Research Post Doctoral Fellowship Award ($160,000, 2025-2026) for studying lived experiences and management of gestational diabetes mellitus among New Zealand South Asian women.