Rate My Professor Caroline Halley

Dr. Caroline Halley is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington, within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Division. She earned her BSc, MSc (Honours), and PhD from the University of Otago. Her doctoral dissertation, "Fungi in New Zealand homes: Measurement, aerosolisation & association with children's health," investigated the links between indoor fungal exposure and paediatric respiratory health. Previously, she served as Senior Research Officer at Massey University's Centre for Public Health Research. As a member of the Wellington Asthma Research Group, she conducts research on housing and environmental factors influencing allergic diseases.

Caroline Halley's research specializations encompass asthma, indoor bioaerosols, house dust mite allergens, fungi, and their accumulation in home environments such as textiles, bedding, carpets, and flooring. Her work examines exposure pathways, disturbance mechanisms, and mitigation strategies including biocides, vacuuming efficacy, and alternative bedding materials. She contributes to the Health Research Council-funded HOME study assessing housing factors linked to new-onset wheezing in infants. Halley co-leads an HRC project exploring urban farm-like dust's microbial origins and health benefits. She also received a $119,915 Lottery Health Research grant. Key publications include "Bedding materials and early infant wheezing: A randomised controlled trial" (Pediatric Allergy & Immunology, 2025, lead author), "He Kāinga Oranga: Reflections on 25 years of measuring the improved health, wellbeing and sustainability of healthier housing" (Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2024), "Preventing upper respiratory tract infections with prophylactic nasal carrageenan: a feasibility study" (Future Microbiology, 2023), "Invisible and ignored: Why indoor air quality deserves our attention" (The Briefing, 2025), and "Fire smoke and public health: From delayed warnings to real-time action" (The Briefing, 2026). Her contributions inform policies on indoor air quality and respiratory health amid rising allergy prevalence.