Loneliness NZ is structured with a Board of Trustees who govern the Trust, and a group of Advisers who provide pro bono specialist expertise to Loneliness NZ. We would like to express our gratitude to our six advisers, and include some of their biography below.
Note: We highly value the input of our advisers, and enjoy meaningful relationships with each one of them. However as we do not solicit the view of each adviser for any of our actions, we do not expect any adviser to endorse every action of the Trust.
Philip continues to add to his significant record of productive scholarship of more than one hundred research papers, reports, and conference proceedings.
Philip chaired the Third International Conference on Wellbeing and Public Policy in Wellington, September 2018.
At the heart of Sarah’s research is loneliness and human relations within groups and organisations – so she has specifically looked at emotions in organisations, and social relationships in the workplace. Her research is also taking her into the organisational climate and social factors in organisations.
Sarah teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the areas of organizational behaviour, leadership, group dynamics, and management skills.
Denise is a qualified pharmacist with practice experience in community pharmacy, general practice, hospital pharmacy and academia. After working in the UK for many years, Denise returned to New Zealand in February 2018, with significant experience working with national health organisations to improve the safer use of medicines in general, and specifically in mental health via the College of Mental Health Pharmacy.
Denise was programme lead for the Pharmacist Prescribing Course in Bath, UK, with responsibility for design, implementation, teaching and assessment, as well as Interprofessional Education.
Denise’s interest in loneliness and social isolation comes as part of wider research interests in social prescribing, and mental health, including dementia and the health of seniors. She has completed projects in social prescribing for people with mild to moderate mental health problems, and pharmacy perspectives of social prescribing.
Other research interests include the public perspective of medicines, and an evaluation of health services. These have led Denise to projects on Green prescriptions for older and frail adults, antibiotic prescribing, shared decision-making in mental health and interprofessional education facilitator training.
Orquidea currently holds the position National Diversional Therapist at Summerset Group Holdings Limited. She was previously with the Selwyn Foundation Group where she introduced the very successful Baby Buddies community outreach programme through which the Selwyn’s care home residents host mums and their babies and toddlers each week. Amongst many other positive outcomes, having these meaningful interactions helps alleviate social isolation for residents and mothers alike.
Orquidea has a Bachelor in International Relations (Human Rights) from the Mexican Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla. She is currently registered with Unitec, participating in the Bachelor of Health and Social Development (Diversional Therapy), as the first pilot program with a major in Diversional Therapy, the only of its kind in NZ.
Lisa is responsible for general management and delivery of all strategy, development and fundraising activity and management of stakeholders on behalf of Auckland Museum. She manages large volume programmes with portfolios including trusts and grants, capital campaigns, bequests, membership development, sponsorship and individual giving.
Prior to Auckland Museum, Lisa was Manager Fundraising Special Events for the Cancer Society.
In 2015 she won the prestigious FINZ (Fundraising Institute of NZ) Supreme Excellence Award for Fundraising. She has also been winner of the 2015 FINZ Trust and Grants Excellence Award and winner of the 2017 FINZ Excellence in Sponsorship award.
