Adapted from Te Whatu Ora Health NZ, 3 July 2023
After many years of dedicated service, highly respected Medical Oncologist Professor Bridget Robinson has retired. She says what she will remember most is the strong sense of teamwork and support among her colleagues in the Canterbury health system.
“Everything we do is as a team,” she says. “I’ve also been deeply humbled by the patients and their whānau, and the courage in the situations they face.”
Bridget was a registrar at Christchurch Hospital in the late 1970s and moved to the UK in 1981, training and gaining an M.D. (Otago) research degree. She returned to New Zealand in 1986 as a Consultant Medical Oncologist. In 1998, as well as working as a medical oncologist at Christchurch Hospital, she joined the University of Otago in Christchurch, and in 2010 she became Professor with the Mackenzie Chair of Cancer Medicine. Alongside her clinical and research roles, Bridget was Chair of the Canterbury Tissue Bank Board and Director of He Taonga Tapu Cancer Society Tissue Bank.
Following her retirement from medical oncology in 2023, Bridget has continued to support ongoing research at the University of Otago Christchurch.
Colleagues describe Bridget as knowledgeable, hardworking, and approachable. Many say she has had a lasting impact not only on her patients, but also on the doctors and researchers she has trained and mentored over the years.
Bridget’s contribution to cancer care and research has been recognised nationally. In 2009, Bridget was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for her services to medicine. In 2022, the New Zealand Society for Oncology named a prestigious annual award after her (The NZSO Bridget Robinson Award) to honour her outstanding work in cancer research and patient care.
She is widely regarded as a leader in her field; an exceptional role model, clinician, researcher, teacher and mentor who has helped shape the careers of many cancer clinicians and scientists throughout New Zealand. She has worked tirelessly to forge links ‘from bench to bedside’ and has been a passionate supporter of public outreach and charitable initiatives to facilitate cancer research.
Bridget’s dedication, compassion, and leadership have made a lasting difference to many people’s lives, and her work will continue to influence cancer care in New Zealand for years to come.
