Paediatrics

The General Paediatric department at Waikato is one of 3 recruitment centres for the WASP Study, a randomised controlled trial investigating respiratory outcomes in pre-schoolers with wheeze treated with prednisolone or placebo.  This work is being led locally by Dr Alexandra Wallace, Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics, and by Dr Stuart Dalziel at Starship Hospital.

Dr Wallace is also involved with the LifePath research group at the Liggins Institute, and recently completed a PhD under the supervision of Distinguished Professor Jane Harding investigating cardiovascular outcome in adults exposed to intrauterine anaemia.  This work is currently under review for publication.

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Our department is also actively engaged in regular audit, with recent projects assessing aspects of care related to bronchiolitis, asthma and diabetes, paediatric admissions to Intensive Care, outpatient clinic attendance, appropriate utilisation of care and protection pathways, and quality of documentation.

Neonatology

Waikato NICU has been heavily involved in research into low blood glucose concentrations in babies since 2007, and has published 12 articles in international journals on this topic.  The next direction of research is underway, with the assessment of glucose concentrations in normal babies. This work is led by Dr Deborah Harris, Nurse Practitioner in association with the Liggins Institute LifePath group.

Drs Bourchier & Weston have published an article in 2015 on metabolic acidosis in preterm infants.

The NICU, in cooperation with other NICU’s in New Zealand and Australia, also participates in multicentre research projects, with nominated project leaders on site.

The group is under the aegis of the University of Auckland's Department of Paediatrics.