Rate My Professor Hansa Patel

Dr. Hansa Patel serves as a 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 PhD in Clinical Research from Victoria University of Wellington in 2020, with a doctoral thesis titled 'A study of the relationship between habitual recreational sporting activity and bone health in adolescents and young adults.' Earlier, Patel obtained a BSc (Hons) from the University of Birmingham and held a position as an Animal Technician at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in 2015. Having lived and worked internationally before settling in New Zealand, she brings diverse experience to her role, which includes serving as a science technician in clinical research and coordinating a family-run paediatric health service. Patel is also a Visiting Scholar at Victoria University of Wellington.

Patel's research focuses on bone health and osteoporosis risk factors, with interests in amplifying the voices of young people regarding health issues, habitual sporting activity, alcohol and smoking, dental fluorosis, and sexually transmitted diseases. Her key publications include 'Young People's Knowledge of Factors Associated with Bone Health in New Zealand: A Qualitative Study' (Osteology, 2026), 'A cross-sectional study of the relationship between recreational sporting activity and calcaneal bone density in adolescents and young adults' (The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 2022), 'Knowledge of Osteoporosis and Lifestyle Behaviours Associated with Bone Health in Young Adults' (Geriatrics, 2021), 'The Relationship Between Non-elite Sporting Activity and Bone Health in Young Adults' (2020), and 'Understanding the Barriers and Enablers to Sporting Activity in Relation to Bone Health: A Qualitative Narrative Study Among Adolescents' (Journal of Osteoporosis and Physical Activity, 2020). Since August 2021, she has been a member of the National Ethics Advisory Committee (NEAC) as a Health Researcher, contributing to ethical guidance on public health matters including epidemics and pandemics.