Rate My Professor Els Russell

Els Russell is a Research Fellow and Teaching Fellow in the Department of Public Health, Christchurch, at the University of Otago. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and human geography from the University of Otago in 2018. She completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health and a Master of Public Health from the University of Otago in 2022. Her MPH thesis, entitled 'A Place to Call Home: Māori experiences of social housing in Ōtautahi Christchurch,' applied a Kaupapa Māori methodology alongside qualitative methods to examine social housing experiences among Māori residents.

Els Russell's research focuses on social determinants of health, particularly Māori experiences of social policy, health economics, and health funding decision-making. Additional interests include transport equity, the built environment, and Māori health. She contributes to the ACTIVATION project (Activating Change through InterVentions for Active Travel in our Neighbourhoods), funded by Healthier Lives and Ageing Well from May 2020 to June 2024. Key publications include Russell, E., Quigg, R., & MacDonald, H. (2025). 'A scoping review exploring the relationships between Indigenous peoples and parks and reserves: Just more colonial structures,' Settler Colonial Studies; Quigg, R., & Russell, E. (2025). 'Indigenous rights and managed public land: a critical treaty analysis of parks and reserves in New Zealand,' Local Environment; Russell, E., McKerchar, C., Berghan, J., Curl, A., et al. (2024). 'Considering the importance of transport to the wellbeing of Māori social housing residents,' Journal of Transport & Health; and Russell, E., McKerchar, C., Thompson, L., & Berghan, J. (2023). 'Māori experiences of social housing in Ōtautahi Christchurch,' Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online. She presented a poster at the International Indigenous Research Conference in Auckland in November 2024.