Rate My Professor Viliami Puloka

Dr Viliami Puloka is a Research Fellow in the Health Promotion and Policy Research Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, within the Division of Health Sciences. He holds the degrees of Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Public Health (MPH). Before joining the university, he worked as a clinician and public health practitioner in Tonga, and for nearly a decade until 2014, he was head and team leader of the Healthy Pacific Lifestyle Unit at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, leading non-communicable disease (NCD) initiatives across 22 Pacific Island countries and territories. Since relocating to New Zealand in 2014, he has contributed to Pacific research efforts.

Dr Puloka also serves as a Lecturer in Pacific Public Health, teaching PUBH739 Special Topic: Introduction to Pacific Public Health, and as Senior Health Promotion Strategist specialising in Pacific Health with the Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand. His research interests centre on diabetes, obesity, and NCDs in the Pacific, with the view that 'Diabetes is the Face of NCD in the Pacific'. He supports Pacific-led research in New Zealand and the Pacific, leveraging his regional networks for community engagement. Notable publications include 'Housing as a determinant of Tongan children's health: innovative methodology using wearable cameras' (Robinson et al., 2017, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health); 'Do tax waivers reduce prices and increase imports of healthy foods? Interrupted time-series analyses from Tonga' (Teng et al., 2026, BMJ Public Health); analyses of Tongan taxes on foods high in fat, salt, and sugar (Teng et al., 2025); and studies on scabies, skin infections, and rheumatic heart disease in Tongan school children (Thornley et al., 2025, Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health). Recent presentations cover barriers to Pacific bowel cancer screening (2025, Cancer Society conference) and infectious disease risks for Tongan children using wearable cameras (2024, Pacific Islands Health Research Symposium). His work informs public health policies on food taxes and dietary improvements in Pacific contexts.