The Dean of the University of Otago Wellington, Professor Peter Crampton and the Director of the Wakefield Biomedical Research Unit, Professor Richard Stubbs have welcomed its relocation to the Wellington campus of the Medical School. The Unit will have significant positive spin-offs for researchers, clinicians and medical students, and future health care in New Zealand.

The University of Otago, Wellington and the Wakefield Unit are celebrating this new era on Friday July 30 with a function at UOW. The Unit was established in 1995 and was previously located at the Wakefield Hospital in Wellington

Professor Stubbs is delighted with the new joint venture, as is Professor Crampton. Wakefield Health Ltd is proud to continue to support the relocated Unit.

"There are significant synergies in being located at the Medical School, next to Wellington Hospital, with larger numbers of scientists and clinicians able to work more closely on key research projects," says Professor Stubbs.

"Medical research in this clinical environment is ultimately likely to have direct benefit for patient care."

An exciting new research area is Professor Stubbs' investigations into the fact that 85% of diabetics who have gastric bypass surgery for obesity are 'cured' of diabetes within a week. The reasons for this dramatic and sudden 'cure' are still a mystery, but it may relate to diabetes being caused by an unknown substance or hormone released from that part of the gut which is bypassed in the surgical procedure.