Joanna Hicks

Gonorrhoea, a disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, can cause severe health complications if left untreated. The discovery of antibiotics active against Neisseria in the late 1930s effectively cured gonorrhoea; however, this bacterium has now developed resistance to every antibiotic used for treatment. In Aotearoa New Zealand and globally, rates of gonorrhoea are increasing.

Dr Joanna Hicks has been awarded a Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship to develop and use cutting-edge techniques to investigate and understand how gonorrhoea disease develops, and to identify potential new antimicrobials to overcome drug-resistant gonorrhoea. This will require collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of biochemists, microbiologists, synthetic chemists, immunologists, sexual health clinicians, and Māori health research organisations. The research supports better health outcomes for New Zealand by investing in capability to understand and address antibiotic resistance.

Dr Joanna Hicks is a Senior Lecturer and Associate Dean of Postgraduate Research in the Division of Health at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato – the University of Waikato, with a focus on integrating Indigenous perspectives into science education, strengthening community engagement, and delivering culturally responsive teaching. After a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Joanna has earned several major grants to work on gonorrhoea and infectious disease, including Emerging Researcher First and Explorer grants from the Health Research Council, and Fast-Start and Standard grants from the Marsden Fund. Joanna is a Co-ordinator for the Infectious Diseases theme at the Maurice Wilkins Centre of Research Excellence and a Technical Advisor for Te Niwha, the Infectious Disease Research Platform.

Bacterial colonies on a petri dish (photo supplied)