Beasley, Richard

Richard Beasley CNZM

DSc(Otago), DM(Southampton), MBChB, FRCP(London), FRACP, FAAAAI, FFOM(Hon), FAPSR(New Zealand), FERS, FRSNZ

Richard Beasley came to Wellington Hospital as a trainee intern in 1979, and then after working as an RMO travelled to the UK to undertake an MD in the field of asthma at Southampton University.

He returned to take up a Senior Lecturer/Internal Medicine Physician position at Wellington Hospital/University of Otago, and formed the Wellington Asthma Research Group, which identified the medication fenoterol as the cause of an epidemic of asthma deaths in New Zealand. The mortality epidemic ended within 6 months of the withdrawal of fenoterol.

After a period as Professor of Medicine, he left Otago University in 2001 to establish the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, while continuing to work as an internal medicine physician at Wellington and Kenepuru Hospitals, retiring from clinical duties in 2021.

He currently retains a research role at CCDHB, and is Director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, Professor of Medicine at Victoria University of Wellington, Adjunct Professor at the University of Otago and Visiting Professor, University of Southampton, United Kingdom.