Dr Rhys Jones - MBChB, MPH

Rhys graduated from the University with an MBChB in 1994 and an MPH in 2001. After basic medical training he worked as a House Surgeon at Napier Hospital, followed by two years in the UK. He returned to New Zealand and in 1999 started specialty training in public health medicine, receiving his fellowship in 2003.

Rhys is now a senior lecturer at Te Kupenga Hauora Māori in the University's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. His research interests include ethnic disparities in health and health care, Māori men's health, child health, and indigenous health education.

In addition to his academic appointment Rhys is also Māori Director of Training for the New Zealand Public Health Medicine training programme. He has served on a number of committees, including as chairperson of Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa (The Māori Medical Practitioners Association). Rhys was a 2005-06 Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy, based at the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School. His fellowship project examined interventions to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care using organisational case studies.

Rhys is married to Jo and they have three boys: Kahukura, Mahaki and Tamatea.