Mona Jeffreys

Mona Jeffreys is an Associate Professor (Research) and Associate Dean Research at the Faculty of Education, Health, and Psychological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington. She works at the Health Services Research Centre (Te Hikuwai Rangahau Hauora) and has expertise in epidemiology with a focus on health equity, access to care, and health services research.

Dr. Jeffreys completed her BSc (Hons) at St Andrews University, MSc (distinction) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and PhD at the University of Bristol. Prior to her current position at Victoria University of Wellington, she served as Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology at the University of Bristol and Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Massey University.

Her research focuses on critical issues in public health including equity in health services, cancer epidemiology and inequities, access to primary health care, and the impacts of Long Covid. Dr. Jeffreys has particular expertise in studying health disparities affecting Māori and other marginalized populations in Aotearoa New Zealand. She leads research on food security, particularly among people with ME/CFS and Long Covid, and is investigating ways to address inequities in colorectal cancer outcomes.

Analysis of Dr. Jeffreys' recent publications reveals a strong focus on health equity, primary care access, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work spans epidemiological studies of Long Covid, evaluations of community health interventions like WELLfed, analyses of primary healthcare funding and utilization, and investigations into barriers to care. A distinctive feature of her research is the consistent attention to health inequities, particularly as they affect Māori populations in New Zealand.

Dr. Jeffreys is actively involved in doctoral supervision, currently mentoring students working on projects related to colorectal cancer disparities, transnational health service use among Asian migrants, and breast cancer inequities in Aotearoa New Zealand. She has secured numerous research grants from the Health Research Council of New Zealand and other funding bodies to support her work on Long Covid, cancer equity, food security, and primary healthcare system analysis.

Among her current research projects are "Addressing inequities in colorectal cancer outcomes," "Evidence-based management of Long Covid," "Food insecurity in people with ME/CFS and/or Long Covid," "Determining a minimum dataset for a proposed ME/CFS Registry," and "Social return on investment methodology: a narrative review of evaluations." These projects reflect her commitment to addressing health system challenges through rigorous epidemiological research.