Professor Tony Merriman, University of Otago, is an outstanding scientist with major contributions to the pre-clinical and clinical science of autoimmune diseases and gout in New Zealand, particularly in Maori and Pacific people. He has shown that gout has a strong genetic component and environmental-genetic interactions. The research has informed public health advice and drug availability in New Zealand. Tony has made important academic advances extracting key conclusions from large health data sets. He has developed strong international co-publishing collaborations, and leadership roles in the international gout community. His research is supported by grants from the Marsden Council and the Health Research Council of New Zealand.
