Rate My Professor Sally McCormick

Professor Sally McCormick holds the position of Professor in the Department of Biochemistry within the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Otago. She obtained her BAgriSci(Hons) and PhD from Lincoln University. Her research centres on lipoprotein metabolism and cardiovascular disease. The laboratory investigates the genetics, proteomics and biochemistry of molecules involved in heart disease across a range of biological systems. A major class of molecules studied are the plasma lipoproteins. Current projects focus on the regulation of lipoprotein levels and composition to identify therapeutic targets for manipulation, with particular interest in Lp(a) and HDL lipoproteins, which exhibit opposing risk associations with heart disease. Additional research explores variation in lipoprotein-associated genes in families with dyslipidaemias and evaluates the effects of antioxidant compounds on biochemical markers of heart disease in both animal models and human trials.

Professor McCormick previously served as Head of the Department of Biochemistry from February 2020 to February 2023. She has authored or co-authored numerous influential publications in leading journals. Notable works include "High-density lipoprotein reduces the human monocyte inflammatory response" (Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 2008), which has garnered 648 citations; "Molecular basis of the interaction between plasma platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase and low density lipoprotein" (Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1999; 228 citations); "Lipoprotein (a) catabolism: a case of multiple receptors" (Pathology, 2019; 135 citations); "Recycling of apolipoprotein (a) after PlgRKT-mediated endocytosis of lipoprotein (a)" (Circulation Research, 2017; 117 citations); and recent articles such as "Antidepressants stimulate lipoprotein(a) macropinocytosis via serotonin-enhanced cell surface binding" (Journal of Lipid Research, 2025) and "A genome-wide association analysis reveals new pathogenic pathways in gout" (Nature Genetics, 2024). Funding for her research has been provided by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the National Heart Foundation, Lottery Health, the Otago Medical Research Foundation, and the University of Otago. She welcomes enquiries from prospective graduate, postgraduate, and postdoctoral researchers regarding available projects.