Rate My Professor Dianne Sika-Paotonu

Dianne Sika-Paotonu is a Professor of Immunology and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Pacific, at the University of Otago within the Division of Health Sciences. She earned her PhD in Biomedical Science specializing in Immunology from Victoria University of Wellington in 2014, with a thesis on increasing the potency of dendritic cell-based vaccines for cancer treatment. Additional qualifications include MBMedSc (1st class Honours in Molecular Pathology), BBMedSc (Molecular Pathology), BSc (Physiology), Diploma in Public Health (Otago), Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education Learning and Teaching, Postgraduate Certificate in Education and Professional Development, and Certificate in Anaesthetic Technology. Her career trajectory features service as an Immunology Scientist at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Centre during her Fulbright Scholarship, Scientific Lead for the Rheumatic Fever and Penicillin Research Programme at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, Western Australia, and research on cancer vaccines at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research. She previously held positions as Associate Dean (Pacific) and senior lecturer/associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington.

Professor Sika-Paotonu's research interests encompass immunology, rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, cancer and early diagnosis, health equity and inequities, infectious diseases, COVID-19, and Pacific health. As Principal Investigator, she directs interdisciplinary projects with national and international collaborators, including in the Pacific region. Key publications include 'Benzathine Penicillin G for rheumatic fever prevention - in remote Fiji' (Journal of Immunology, 2025), contributions to the INFORM ASTHMA trial (Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2026; ERJ Open Research, 2025), ''Diabetes makes you lose your leg': Footcare self-management amongst I-Taukei Fijians' (Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2025), and 'Differences in systemic treatments for breast cancer between patients with and without diabetes' (New Zealand Medical Journal, 2025). Renowned for science communication, she has delivered over 220 broadcast interviews and contributed to more than 1,500 media stories, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Honors include the 2024 Callaghan Medal (Royal Society Te Apārangi), 2022 Prime Minister’s Science Communication Prize, 2020 Cranwell Medal, 2023 Liley Medal (team award), Fulbright Scholarship, and the Royal Order of Queen Salote Tupou III (Tonga). She maintains extensive leadership in committees, boards, and advocacy addressing health inequities for Pacific and Māori communities.