Rate My Professor Louise Marsh

Dr. Louise Marsh is a Senior Research Fellow in the Social and Behavioural Research Unit within the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine at the University of Otago. She earned a Bachelor of Commerce and Marketing from Lincoln University, followed by a Master of Public Health and a PhD from the University of Otago. Her doctoral thesis, completed in 2006, investigated physical aggression among high school students in New Zealand. Marsh has served as a Senior Research Fellow in the unit since 2010 and was appointed Co-Director of the Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit in 2018. Her transition to public health research was inspired by her undergraduate studies at Lincoln University and personal experience with breast cancer diagnosis in 2014, which underscored the importance of prevention strategies.

Marsh's research centers on tobacco control policies to support New Zealand's Smokefree 2025 goal, with a focus on reducing commercial tobacco retail availability through geospatial analyses, retailer density and proximity impacts on youth smoking, and smokefree environment evaluations. She also explores cancer awareness, sun protection behaviors, and vaping narratives among young Māori adults. Key publications include 'Association between density and proximity of tobacco retail outlets with smoking: A systematic review of youth studies' (2021, Tobacco Control), 'Tobacco retail outlet density and risk of youth smoking in New Zealand' (2016, Tobacco Control), 'Awareness of cancer among adolescents: A study of nine focus groups in Aotearoa New Zealand' (2023, Health Promotion Journal of Australia), and '"Stealth Vaping Is Everywhere": The Narratives of Young Māori Adults in New Zealand' (2025, Nicotine & Tobacco Research). With 69 publications and over 1,180 citations, her work informs policy on tobacco supply reduction, retailer restrictions, and equity considerations. In 2019, she received the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine's Excellence in Research Mid-Career Award. Marsh has presented on smokefree urban areas and outdoor policies at the University of Otago Summer School.