Terryann Clark

Terryann Coralie Clark, known as TC, is a New Zealand Māori nursing academic, and as of 2023 is a full professor at the University of Auckland, specialising in Māori health, adolescent wellbeing and mental and sexual health.

Biography

Clark grew up in Moerewa. Her mother was a child of a closed adoption, and so Clark is only recently discovering her whakapapa. Her mother's adopted whānau are Ngāpuhi Nui Tonu. After making contacts during a conference in Los Angeles, she completed a PhD titled Factors associated with reduced depression and suicide risk among Māori high school student in New Zealand at the University of Minnesota. In 2008, she joined the faculty of the school of nursing at the University of Auckland as a senior lecturer. She was appointed to the Cure Kids professorial chair in Child and Adolescent Mental Health in July 2022.

Her research focuses on sexual and mental health, Māori health, and especially adolescent health. She is a founding member of the Adolescent Health Research Group, and has been part of collecting data on a long-term study of adolescents in 2001, 2007, 2012, and 2019. Clark is on the advisory panel for the 'A Better Start' National Science Challenge.

Clark has a prosthetic leg after being hit by a car in Minnesota. She credits taking up dog-sledding with helping with her recovery.

Selected works