Rate My Professor Lucy Henderson

Lucy Kavale Henderson is a PhD candidate in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Otago, part of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences. She holds qualifications including BA, BA(Hons), and MSc. In her academic roles, she serves as a Teaching Fellow for CELS 191 and BIOL 112, and as a Demonstrator for BIOA201, BIOA301, and CELS191, as well as a Tutor for BIOA201 and BIOA301. Her involvement in teaching underscores her commitment to education in anatomy and related biological sciences.

Henderson's research specializations center on bioarchaeology, specifically investigating childhood physiological stress through paleohistological examination of dental enamel. Her work elucidates early life experiences of physiological stress causing enamel formation disruption in nineteenth-century Otago settlers via histological analysis of dentition. She contextualizes findings within broader bioarchaeological research to illuminate mid-nineteenth-century health patterns and individual life histories. Her PhD, commenced in 2022 and currently under examination, is supervised by Associate Professor Carolina Loch, Associate Professor Claire Cameron from Biostatistics, Dr. Charlotte King from Anatomy, and Dr. Annie Sohler-Snoddy from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Key publications include 'Reflections of their homelands: Early life enamel formation disruption in nineteenth century settlers of Otago, New Zealand' (Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2026, co-authored with Loch, Buckley, Petchey, King, Cameron, and Snoddy) and 'Nostalgia for the old country: A histological exploration of early childhood physiological stress experiences in colonial Otago, New Zealand' (International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2024, co-authored with Buckley, King, Petchey, and Snoddy). She has presented at the Faculty of Dentistry Clinical and Research Excellence Symposium (2025), Graduate Research Student Symposium (2023), and the 10th Asia Pacific International Congress of Anatomists (2023). Henderson also serves as Postgraduate Biological Anthropology Representative on the Emerging Researchers Group Committee in the Department of Anatomy.