Former Director-General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, joins Waipapa Taumata Rau as a professor in the School of Population Health, leading the new Public Policy Impact Institute as its inaugural chair.
Announcing the appointment, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater says a role at the University was a natural progression for Professor Bloomfield following his extensive public health career culminating in his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Professor Bloomfield brings enormous experience to the University. We look forward to him joining the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and also using his public policy expertise to build our new Public Policy Impact Institute.”
The Public Policy Impact Institute will support the translation and application of University research into policies that directly impact communities. As inaugural chair Professor Bloomfield will work as acting director across the University to develop the Institute and ultimately recruit its first director.
Professor Bloomfield said he was very pleased to be joining the team at Waipapa Taumata Rau and was looking forward to working alongside colleagues in the School of Population Health.
“The proposed Public Policy Impact Institute is a great opportunity to strengthen the link between the University’s world-class research and the development and implementation of policy. The intent is clear – to help improve a range of social and economic outcomes in Aotearoa with a strong focus on equity.”
Professor Bloomfield graduated from the University of Auckland in 1997 with a Masters of Public Health with first-class honours. He has worked at the World Health Organisation in Geneva, is a previous CEO at the then Capital & Coast and Hutt Valley district health boards and ended his tenure as Director General of Health in July this year.
He begins at Waipapa Taumata Rau on 31 January 2023.
