Carina Walters – Pharmacy

Supervisors: Professor Janie Sheridan, Dr David Newcombe, Professor Chris Bullen

Research topic: Pharmaceutical opioid misuse in New Zealand: Exploring experiences of individuals with non-illicit pathways to dependence

Alison Schneller – Population Health

Supervisor: Associate Professor Peter Adams

Research topic: Critical analysis of mechanisms used in compulsory community treatment orders

Rayna Sharma – Pharmacy

Supervisors: Associate Professor Jo Barnes and Dr Rhys Ponton

Research topic: Use of herbal substances as treatments for substance use disorder, and as drugs of misuse

Anantha Kumar – Population Health

Supervisors: Professor Chris Bullen and Dr Karen Bissell

Research topic: Smoking cessation in rural India

Estelle Miller – Pharmacy

Supervisors: Dr Rhys Ponton (main), Associate Professor Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Dr David Menkes, Dr Geoff Noller

Research topic: Characterising the use of psychedelic drugs in ‘microdoses’​

Delia Cotoros – Population Health

Supervisors: Dr David Newcombe, Dr Rob McNeil

Research topic: Internet Addiction (IA) – exploring the relationship between IA and certain psychopathologies

Alesha Wells – Health Psychology

Supervisors: Dr Lisa Reynolds (main); Associate Professor Suresh Muthukumaraswamy; Eva Morunga (advisor)

Research topic: An investigation into the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy.

Jiayi Gong – Pharmacy

Supervisors: Dr Amy Chan, Associate Professor Peter Jones, Professor Alan Merry

Research topic: Persistent opioid use and opioid-related harm after hospital admissions for surgery and trauma in New Zealand: A Population-based Cohort Study

Paul Ware – Social and Community Health and Sociology

Supervisors: Professor Peter Adams, Associate Professor Peter Saxton and Associate Professor Bruce Cohen

Research topic: A comparative analysis of Social Cohesion and Covid-19 health outcomes between Aotearoa-NZ, England and Taiwan. I have undergraduate degrees in Health Sciences and Sociology and a postgraduate Honours in Health Sciences. My honours research investigated the experiences of self-diagnosed pornography addicts and their reasons for seeking help to change their relationship with pornographic materials. I have an interest in critical perspectives on addiction and public health more generally, the ways in which profit-making organisations seek to shape culture and identities to support their goals and how identity materialises in health.

Abdullah (Dilla) Kalantan – School of Population Health

Supervisors: Professor Chris Bullen, Samantha Marsh, Amer Siddiq Bin Amer Nordin (University Malaya, Malaysia), and Sarah Monshi (Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia)

Research topic: Using a qualitative approach, I aim to explore factors associated with smoking among Muslims in Saudi Arabia and New Zealand, understand perceived barriers to smoking cessation, and gather their views on the role of religion in smoking behaviours. Then, we aim to develop a faith-based smoking cessation intervention, in collaboration with religious leaders, consisting of health and religious text messages. The intervention will be piloted during Ramadan, a sacred period many Muslims see as an opportunity to reduce and quit smoking.