David Skegg
Encyclopedia
Sir David Christopher Graham Skegg, KNZM
, OBE
, FRSNZ
(born 1947) is a New Zealand
epidemiologist and university administrator. He is a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago
and Professor
of Preventive and Social Medicine. His primary research interest is cancer epidemiology.
and attended King's College, Auckland
. He entered the medical course at the University of Otago
, travelling on exchange to Harvard University
. He later received a (postgraduate) Rhodes Scholarship
to the University of Oxford
, joining Balliol College
and working with noted epidemiologist Sir Richard Doll
.
Returning to Otago, Skegg took up the departmental chair in Preventive and Social Medicine in 1980. In 2004, he took up the Vice-Chancellorship of the university. He stood down from that position in 2011.
Skegg has acted as a consultant to the World Health Organisation and to the New Zealand government. In 1990, he was awarded an OBE for services to medicine and, in 2009, received a knighthood. He has contributed to the study of cervical, breast and prostate cancer, as well contraceptives and reproductive health.
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRSNZ
Royal Society of New Zealand
The Royal Society of New Zealand , known as the New Zealand Institute before 1933, was established in 1867 to co-ordinate and assist the activities of a number of regional research societies including the Auckland Institute, the Wellington Philosophical Society, the Philosophical Institute of...
(born 1947) is a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
epidemiologist and university administrator. He is a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
and Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Preventive and Social Medicine. His primary research interest is cancer epidemiology.
Biography
Skegg was born in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and attended King's College, Auckland
King's College, Auckland
King's College is an independent secondary school in New Zealand. It was originally a boys-only school but now also admits girls in the sixth and seventh forms . The school has strong links to the Anglican church; the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, and the Dean of Auckland are permanent members of...
. He entered the medical course at the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
, travelling on exchange to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He later received a (postgraduate) Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, joining Balliol College
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
and working with noted epidemiologist Sir Richard Doll
Richard Doll
Sir William Richard Shaboe Doll CH OBE FRS was a British physiologist who became the foremost epidemiologist of the 20th century, turning the subject into a rigorous science. He was a pioneer in research linking smoking to health problems...
.
Returning to Otago, Skegg took up the departmental chair in Preventive and Social Medicine in 1980. In 2004, he took up the Vice-Chancellorship of the university. He stood down from that position in 2011.
Skegg has acted as a consultant to the World Health Organisation and to the New Zealand government. In 1990, he was awarded an OBE for services to medicine and, in 2009, received a knighthood. He has contributed to the study of cervical, breast and prostate cancer, as well contraceptives and reproductive health.