Rate My Professor Vicky Cameron

Emeritus Professor Vicky A. Cameron is a distinguished researcher in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, Faculty of Medicine. She earned her BSc with honours in Zoology in 1977 and a PhD from the University of Otago, with her doctoral thesis examining the role of brain hormones in regulating hypothalamic-pituitary secretion during acute haemorrhagic stress. Cameron's career spans 48 years at the University of Otago, beginning in the early 1980s as a Scientific Officer in the Department of Medicine, Christchurch campus, under Professor Eric Espiner. She held international fellowships including the Fogarty Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Salk Institute (1990-1991) and the Health Research Council Repatriation Fellowship (1992-1994). Progressing to senior roles such as Deputy Dean of the University of Otago Christchurch, tenured Research Scientist (2007), and Group Leader of the Omics Laboratory at the Christchurch Heart Institute until her retirement in 2022, when she was conferred the title of Emeritus Professor.

Cameron's research centers on cardiovascular genomics and epigenetics, exploring genetic, epigenetic, and environmental influences on heart disease susceptibility, development, and progression. She led the Omics Laboratory, investigating gene expression and pathology in heart disease models, genetic variations associated with clinical outcomes in New Zealand patients, non-coding RNAs such as ANRIL at chromosome 9p21 contributing to coronary heart disease, and circulating microRNAs as prognostic biomarkers post-acute coronary syndrome. Principal investigator on major cohort studies including the Christchurch Family Heart Study, Christchurch Healthy Volunteers Study, Hauora Manawa Māori Community Heart Study, and Pasifika Heart Study, encompassing over 5,000 participants to assess cardiovascular risk in diverse populations. Her contributions include pivotal studies on natriuretic peptides in cardiac fibrosis and the chromosome 9p21 genomic risk locus for coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis. With over 200 publications and more than 5,900 citations, Cameron has significantly impacted the field. She has held influential positions such as Chair of the Health Research Council Biomedical Research Committee (2019-2022), Marsden Fund Council member (2014-2017), and International Ambassador for the American Heart Association Council on Genomic and Precision Medicine. Major awards include Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM, 2017) for services to health, Gold Medal for Research (University of Otago Christchurch, 2019), Leadership Award (2018), and American Heart Association International Fellowship (2011).