Stephen Robertson - Profile

Stephen Robertson is the Child Health Research Foundation Professor of Paediatric Genetics at the University of Otago in Dunedin. He was educated at the University of Otago graduating in Medicine in 1990. He specialized in Paediatrics and Genetics after training at various hospitals in greater Auckland and at the Victorian Clinical Genetics Service in Melbourne from 1997-9. From 1995-1996 he was Chief Resident of Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland.

From 1999 – 2002 Stephen was Nuffield Medical Fellow at St Catherine’s College, Oxford University, studying the genetic determinants of congenital malformations in children in the laboratory of Professor Andrew Wilkie at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine. This work culminated in the publication of two papers in Nature Genetics 2003 and 2004 outlining the role of a new family of genes, the filamins, in the generation of these conditions. He remains an active clinical geneticist attached to the Central and Southern Regional Genetics Service, based in Wellington, as well as continuing his research into congenital malformations.

The Curekids Chair in Child Health Research

The Child Health Research Foundation launched an initiative in 2002 to establish a chair at the University of Otago that was dedicated to aspects of Child Health Research. A large number of corporate organizations as well as private individuals contributed to the establishment of the position. Most notably, four men from Queenstown – Graham Smolenksi, Jeff Turner, Wayne Cafe and Fraser Skinner – initiated an international ski endurance event – The 50k of Coronet – over five successive years from 2000 - 2004 to contribute over $1 million to the fund. Professor Robertson was appointed as the Inaugural Curekids Professor in late 2002 and established the Clinical Genetics Laboratory. In 2006 in collaboration with the Government’s Partnerships in Excellence Programme and the University’s Leading Thinkers Programme, the Curekids Chair in Child Health Research was established in perpetuity.