AHRG Members

Back Row: Simon Denny, Peter Watson, Terry Fleming
Front Row: Sarah Fortune, Sue Grant, Terryann Clark, Sue Crengle, Shanthi Ameratunga, Jennifer Utter, Sally Merry, Elizabeth Robinson

Department of Community Paediatrics

Peter Watson
Peter Watson is a Paediatrician and Specialist Youth Health Physician at Whirinaki, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Counties-Manukau DHB. He is also a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Auckland. Peter initiated and led the Adolescent Health Research Group from 1997 until 2005. He headed the development, fieldwork, analysis and dissemination of the first Youth2000 national survey of secondary school students in 2001.

Simon Denny
Simon Denny is a Youth Health Physician working at the Centre for Youth Health and University of Auckland. He is the Principal Investigator of the Youth’07 survey which aims to collect, analyse and disseminate accurate and comprehensive information on the health and wellbeing of New Zealand secondary school students. Youth’07 follows on from the first Youth2000 survey in 2001 which was the first nationally representative health survey of students attending secondary schools in New Zealand.

Terry Fleming
Terry (Theresa) Fleming is social worker with a back ground in youth health, youth mental health and service development. She is currently a research fellow and PhD candidate working on the SPARX youth mental heatlh study (www.sparx.org.nz) as well as an investigator with the Adolescent Health Research Group and a lecturer in youth health. In her spare time Terry has two teenage sons, loves reading teen fiction and being in the sea.

Section of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Population Health

Shanthi Ameratunga
Shanthi is a paediatrician and public health physician at the School of Population Health, University of Auckland. Her main research interests relate to injuries, disability, and inequalities in health/care. Shanthi was a founding member of the Adolescent Health Research Group and chaired the group from 2005 to 2008. One of the most exciting parts of Shanthi’s job is teaching a course on ‘Global health’ to 950+ first year University students who want to change the world. And they will!  

Elizabeth Robinson
Elizabeth is a biostatistician in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland. Elizabeth has been a member of the Adolescent Health Research Group since 1997. She has overall responsibility for statistical aspects of the projects.

Jennifer Utter
Jennifer has a background in food and nutrition and is a lecturer in public health nutrition at the University of Auckland's School of Population Health. Jennifer has been a member of the Adolescent Health Research Group since 2004. Her main research interests are in adolescent eating behaviours, weight control, and obesity prevention.

School of Nursing

Robyn Dixon
Robyn Dixon is the Director of the Centre for Child and Family Research, at the University of Auckland, and Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at The University of Auckland. She is a founding member of the Adolescent Health Research Group and has expertise in the areas of developmental and adolescent psychology and extensive experience in research and evaluation with children, young people, their families and communities in areas related to health, education, justice and welfare

Terryann Clark
Terryann Clark  (Nga Puhi) is a youth health nurse and lecturer at the School of Nursing, at the University of Auckland. She has a PhD in Nursing, a Masters in Public Health and a Fellowship in Adolescent Health. Her main research interests relate to youth health, population health, Mäori and indigenous youth health issues, disability, mental health and sexual health. Terryann was a founding member of the Adolescent Health Research Group and currently is the chair of the Adolescent Health Research Group.

 Department of Psychological Medicine

Sally Merry
Dr Merry is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and, having established the Werry Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the University of Auckland, is now the Director of Research at the Centre. Her main area of research interest has been adolescent depression and she has conducted a number of major studies in the area and has two trials underway investigating the effectiveness of “e-therapy” and of a multimedia mobile phone intervention for teenage depression.

Te Kupenga Hauora Maori, School of Population Health

Sue Crengle
Dr Crengle is from the Waitaha, Kati Mamoe and Kāi Tahu tribes. She obtained her medical, MPH, and PhD degrees from the University of Auckland. She holds specialty qualifications in general practice and public health medicine. Sue was a recipient of a Harkness Fellowship in Health Policy 1999-2000, working at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA. On her return she worked as a Senior Advisor in the Ministry of Health for 12 months. She is currently a Senior Lecturer and Director of Tōmaiora Māori Health Research Centre, Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, FHMS, University of Auckland.