Rate My Professor Emma Merry

Dr. Emma Merry is a dedicated clinician-educator affiliated with the University of Otago Wellington School of Medicine, where she serves as Clinical Education Adviser for the Hawke’s Bay region. She trained at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School in London and has practiced medicine in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand, accumulating over 15 years of experience in intensive care. Dual qualified in Intensive Care Medicine and Palliative Medicine, she holds the position of Senior Medical Officer in Palliative Medicine at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital in Hastings. Additionally, as a Specialist Medical Officer with Organ Donation New Zealand, she collaborates with intensive care units across New Zealand’s 24 ICUs to identify and support potential deceased organ donors, contributing to a doubling of donation rates from 2013 to 2017. Her academic credentials include a postgraduate diploma in aeromedical retrievals from the University of Otago and a Master’s degree in Clinical Education from the University of Auckland, with her thesis focusing on motivation among clinical teachers.

Dr. Merry’s contributions span clinical practice, research, and medical education. She has co-authored significant publications on end-of-life care, including “Benchmarking opioids in the last 24 hours of life” published in the Internal Medicine Journal in 2011 and “Benchmarking benzodiazepines and antipsychotics in the last 24 hours of life” in the New Zealand Medical Journal in 2012. Her presentations include “What motivates clinical teachers in Intensive Care?” at the Australian & New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators conference in 2018, and discussions on deceased organ donation at the ANZICS New Zealand Regional ASM in 2018. At Hawke’s Bay DHB, she has led as Intensivist and Medical Lead for the Outreach and Goals of Treatment Project, and contributed to national discussions on recognizing deteriorating patients. She provided input to the University of Otago Medical School’s “Do you know…” educational resources on student assessment and learning. In 2015, she represented intern supervisors on the Medical Council of New Zealand. Through sensitive family discussions on organ donation and training videos on communication, Dr. Merry enhances end-of-life care, medical training, and organ donation practices in New Zealand.