Thursday 24 November, 2011
Professor Christine Winterbourn
Congratulations to one of Diocesan’s Alumnae Meritae on a very special first.Professor Christine Coe Winterbourn, Class of 1959, is the first woman to be awarded the highest New Zealand Science and Technology honour, the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Rutherford Medal, for her discoveries in the field of Biology. The full citation reads,“To Christine Coe Winterbourn for seminal discoveries in free radical biology, promotion of rigorous standards of research, and fostering excellent scientific education.” In addition to the medal she received a monetary award of $100,000. Professor Winterbourn of Otago University, Christchurch Campus, is a world authority on the biochemistry and biology of free radicals and antioxidants.
The President of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Dr Garth Carnaby, said, “Professor Winterbourn was one of the first scientists to demonstrate our cells produce free radicals as part of their normal function. She went onto to characterise some of the chemical reactions of free radicals that we now know occur in diseases such as cancer, strokes, coronary heart disease and arthritis.” He went on to say that her mana extends beyond these shores. She has been a firm advocate for Science in New Zealand and an excellent mentor and role model. “Her output of published papers sharing her research has been prolific, with more than 260 papers published, the majority in international journals.” She has also published many useful science methods which are widely used.
In her current role as Director of the Free Radical Research Group in the Pathology Department at Otago University, Christchurch, Professor Winterbourn’s work includes mechanisms of antioxidant defence, understanding how white blood cells kill bacteria, and free radical involvement in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.