The University of Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (FMHS;

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

: ''Mātauranga Hauora'') was established in 1968 as The

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

School of Medicine at its present site in Grafton,

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. Prior to this, the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

had taught some students from the final years of its medical course in Auckland through a branch faculty of the Dunedin School of Medicine.

Research

FMHS has 7 research centres: the Aotearoa–New Zealand National Eye Centre (ANZ–NEC), Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre (ACSRC), Centre for Addiction Research, Centre for Medical Imaging, Eisdell Moore Centre, Manaaki Mānawa – The Centre for Heart Research, and Surgical and Translational Research (STaR) Centre. The faculty also possesses the only brain bank in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. This brain bank contains over 400 brains bequeathed to the medical school. These include brains donated by people who died with neurological diseases such as

Huntington's disease Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that is mostly Genetic disorder#Autosomal dominant, inherited. It typically presents as a triad of progressive psychiatric, cognitive, and ...

and

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

. The University of Auckland welcomed the commitment by New Zealand and Australian prime ministers to fund NZ $3 million over 2 years for a trans-Tasman project to investigate potential vaccines against

Rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammation#Disorders, inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal throat infection. Si ...

.
Rheumatic fever
is a major health concern in NZ and Australia, particularly in Maori, Pacifica and Aboriginal communities, which have the highest rates in the world. It is a result of an immune reaction to infection by group A streptococcus. This vaccine project complements ongoing public health programs which contribute to high rates of disease in New Zealand and Australia. The University has considerable expertise in both the basic science of group A streptococcus infection and public health approaches required to take high rates of rheumatic fever as per Professor John Fraser, former Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.

Schools and departments

FMHS consists of 6 schools and 1 department, all of which are based on the Grafton Campus. It is made up of *School of Medical Sciences *School of Medicine *School of Nursing *School of Optometry and Vision Sciences *School of Pharmacy *School of Population Health *Te Kupenga Hauora Māori The Philson Library in the School of Medicine is named after Thomas Moore Philson, a notable doctor and medical superintendent of

Auckland Hospital Auckland City Hospital is a public hospital located in Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest hospital in New Zealand,Largest hospital in New Zealand...' - News-Medical.Net, Tuesday 29 June 2004 as well as one of the oldest medical fa ...

, who set up a trust fund to found a medical library for students.

References

External links

Faculty homepage

Auckland University Medical Students' Association website

New Zealand Medical Students' Association website
{{Authority control Medical and Health Sciences, Faculty of, University of Auckland A, University of Auckland