Gillian Michelle Abel

Gillian Abel is a New Zealand public health researcher and as of 2021 head of the Department of Population Health at the University of Otago in Christchurch.

Education After a receiving a diploma from Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, Abel moved to New Zealand in 1997 to work at the University of Otago. She graduated from Otago in 2010 with a PhD. Her thesis was titled "Decriminalisation: A harm minimisation and human rights approach to regulating sex work".

Career Abel's early career focused on hematology before making a career change to focus on public health. In December 2019 Abel was promoted to full professor in the Department of Population Health at Otago with effect from 1 February 2020. She is also head of the department.

Research Interests

Sex work research, explicitly about stigma, decriminalization, and social change Youth physical and sexual health Community-based participatory research with street-based sex work Destigmatisation of HIV/AIDS

Selected publications

Books

Journal articles