Rate My Professor Derek Fruean

Derek Fruean is passionate about biostatistics and research on Pacific health in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. His role involves research contributions and monitoring the POPO (Pacific Opportunities Programme at Otago) programmes, which provide support services to Pacific students in Health Sciences. Fruean is listed in the University of Otago Health Sciences Staff Expertise Database with expertise in biostatistics and Pacific health. He co-authored the 2025 publication 'Successful First-Year Pacific University Students in New Zealand: What Can We Learn from Their Journey?', published in the Open Journal of Social Sciences (Vol. 13, No. 10, pp. 42-61), alongside Faafetai Sopoaga, Sarah Colhoun, and Shyamala Nada-Raja from Va'a o Tautai. This work investigates factors supporting the success of first-year Pacific students at the University of Otago. Additionally, Fruean has been acknowledged for providing technical support in research on the perceptions of well-being among first-year Pacific students.