Robyn Ngaire Norton (born 23 November 1955) is a New Zealand health researcher who is James Martin Fellow and Professor of Public Health at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

. Her research considers women and girls' health. She is the Founder of the

George Institute for Global Health The George Institute for Global Health, is an independent medical research institute headquartered in Australia with offices in China, India and the United Kingdom. The George Institute conducts research on non-communicable disease, including hea ...

Early life and education

Norton is from

Canterbury, New Zealand Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current f ...

. She has said that she grew up in a family committed to equity and social justice. Her time in high school coincided with the rise of

second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades. It took place throughout the Western world, and aimed to increase equality for women by building on previous feminist gains. Wh ...

, and Norton became interested in women's health. She remained in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

for her undergraduate studies, earning a master's degree at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

. During her master's programme she evaluated the ergonomics of kitchen design in New Zealand. She moved to the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

for a master's of public health. Norton remained at the University of Sydney for her doctoral research, where she studied

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

of the liver in women. After completing her PhD research, Norton was a postdoctoral researcher at the

Royal Free Hospital The Royal Free Hospital (also known simply as the Royal Free) is a major teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. The hospital is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs services at Barn ...

and

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

Research and career

Norton has focused her career to improving the health outcomes of women. In 1999, she founded the

, a non-profit which she continues to lead as Director. The institute seeks to understand the global burden of disease in lower and middle-income countries, improve the expertise of such countries in handling an epidemic and to emphasise the importance of maternal and child health. In 2011 the George Institute for Global Health was one of the world's top ten research institutions. The Institute works on non-communicable diseases, which are the leading cause of death for women worldwide. Her research considers the causes, prevention and management of injuries. In this capacity, she serves as Chair of the Road Traffic Injuries Research Network. Norton's notable students include

Shanthi Ameratunga Shanthi Neranjana Ameratunga is a New Zealand public health academic. As of September 2018 she is currently a full professor at the University of Auckland. Academic career After a 2005 PhD titled '' 'Disability following car crashes: an epi ...

Awards and honours

* 2016 Elected Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences is an academy to promote health and medical sciences in Australia. It was established in June 2014. It cites "The Academy will serve the three purposes identified as of high priority in the 20 ...

* 2017

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

* Elected Fellow of the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. History The Society was established in 1805 as Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, meeting in two rooms in barristers’ chambers ...

* 2019 The ''

Australian Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...

'' Australia’s Top Women of Influence

Selected publications

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Robyn 1955 births Living people Women's health movement Officers of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences People from Christchurch New Zealand women scientists University of Canterbury alumni