History of the Department

The Department of Preventive and Social Medicine is a survivor of the pioneering era of public health in New Zealand.   From tiny beginnings in 1886, the Department is now the largest in the University of Otago.   This well illustrated history pays tribute to all those leaders and staff who have helped the Department to tackle the health challenges of yesteryear and today.   The story is set amid the shifting ideas and issues of public health as they have been understood, studied and taught by staff of the Department over 125 years.  The story is one of timely influence upon generations of future doctors and public health workers, teachers of medicine, health researchers, University decision-makers, leading policymakers and administrators in New Zealand’s public health system, and international health organizations.   Expertise, influence and networks have steadily stretched from local to national, then to Pacific and international horizons. 

To order a copy of The Medicine of the Future please contact Nicola Casey nicola.casey@otago.ac.nz for an order form.