Rate My Professor Suetonia Green

Professor Suetonia Green serves as Dean of the Dunedin School of Medicine and Distinguished Professor at the University of Otago. She earned her MB ChB from Otago Medical School, completed her PhD with the Christchurch Heart Institute at the University of Otago, and undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She obtained her specialist qualification as FRACP in 2005 and practices as a kidney specialist at Christchurch Hospital, with expertise in paediatric transition, palliative care, and home-based dialysis. Previously, she held positions as Deputy Dean at the University of Otago, Christchurch, and Associate Dean (Medical Admissions) for the Faculty of Medicine. She is also Co-convenor of the 6th year programme Hauora Māori and teaches in the 4th year Hauora Māori orientation wānanga.

An academic kidney specialist, Professor Green conducts large-scale clinical trials, meta-analyses, and qualitative research to improve health outcomes for people affected by kidney conditions. Her current research identifies treatments that enhance health and wellbeing, and advances healthcare quality and delivery across Aotearoa New Zealand and globally. She leads multiple Health Research Council projects, including the IMPEDE-PKD trial evaluating metformin to protect kidney function in polycystic kidney disease, the PHOSPHATE trial assessing phosphate-lowering treatments for dialysis patients, and the TEACH-PD trial developing a curriculum for peritoneal dialysis training. She supervises seven research students in BMedSci(Hons), Masters, and PhD programmes. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, and Annals of Internal Medicine, and an h-index of 65, her research has substantial impact. Notable recent publications include 'Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors for people with chronic kidney disease and diabetes' (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2025), 'Thiazolidinediones for people with chronic kidney disease and diabetes' (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2025), and 'Implementation of Metformin Therapy to Ease Decline of Kidney Function in Polycystic Kidney Disease (IMPEDE-PKD)' (Trials, 2025). Awards include Fellowship of the Royal Society of New Zealand, L’Oréal For Women in Science fellowship, Rutherford Discovery Fellowship, University of Otago Carl Smith Medal, Rowheath Trust award, Research Gold Medal at the University of Otago Christchurch, and Don and Lorraine Jacquot Fellowship. She chairs the New Zealand Nephrology Group, is President Elect of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Nephrology, and serves on the National Renal Clinical Network.