
James joined the University of Otago, Wellington as a Research Fellow in April 2007. In 2019 he was promoted to Research Associate Professor.
Since joining Otago as a biostatistician, James has been a coinvestigator on over 20 large externally funded projects, including work with the C3 research group (led by Professor Diana Sarfati) on multimorbidity in New Zealand, and multiple projects on cancer-related outcomes. He also works with Associate Professor Ricci Harris and Dr Donna Cormack on several projects on how racism influences health (including an HRC project for which he is the Principal Investigator, HRC 17/066), and with Professor Richard Edwards and Andrew Waa on several tobacco control projects through the ASPIRE Aotearoa research group. He is also a co-director of the Integrated Data Research Group.
James is currently Director of the Biostatistical Group for the Wellington campus, where his role includes coordinating colleagues and collaborating with researchers across the campus and the broader community. As well as these roles, he teaches biostatistical and research methods in several formal courses at UOW (including co-convening the HASC417 Research Methods paper), as well as developing and running practical workshops on statistical methods for staff and students.
Prior to joining the University of Otago as a biostatistician, James trained and worked as an experimental psychologist, with a PhD from the University of Otago (graduated 2004) and post-doctoral experience in cognitive neuroscience (University of Birmingham in the UK, 2004-2006).
Recent publications
- New Zealand adolescents’ responses to plain packaging and new pictorial warning labels: Repeat cross-sectional survey analysisAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
- Early‐onset smoking and vaping of cannabis: Prevalence, correlates and trends in New Zealand 14–15‐year‐oldsDrug and Alcohol Review
- Kaai, S.C. Ouimet, J. Martin, N. Quah, A.C.K. Fong, G.T.The New Zealand smokefree 2025 action plan: support for and anticipated behavioural responses to key measures among smokers in the ITC New Zealand (EASE) 2018 and 2020 surveys (Poster).Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,March 15-18, 2022.
- Has increasing internet use contributed to the decline in adolescent smoking?Drug and Alcohol Review,2022; 41(2): 365-376.
- Has increasing internet use due to smartphone uptake contributed to the decline in adolescent smoking?Drug & Alcohol Review,Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/dar.13378
- The rise of cannabis vaping: Implications for survey design.New Zealand Medical Journal,134(1540), 95-98
- The Smokefree 2025 Action Plan: key findings from the ITC New Zealand (EASE) project.Public Health Expert,July 5, 2021.
- Support for New Zealand's Smokefree 2025 goal and key measures to achieve it: Findings from the ITC New Zealand Survey.Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health,Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.13129
- Changes in tobacco use during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand.Nicotine & Tobacco Research,Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntaa257
- Prevalence and correlates of early-onset cannabis use in Aotearoa New Zealand.Proceedings of the APSAD Scientific Drug & Alcohol Conference
- White, M. Chung-Hall, J. Ofeibea Indome, E. Meng, G. Craig, L. Fong, G.E-cigarette use and related attitudes and beliefs: Evidence from the 2016 and 2018 ITC New Zealand Surveys.University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
- Reasons for stopping e-cigarette use among smokers: Findings from the 2018 ITC New Zealand Survey.New Zealand Medical Journal,133(1523), 117-121.
- Patterns of use of vaping products among smokers: Findings from the 2016-2018 International Tobacco Control (ITC) New Zealand Surveys.International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health,17(18), 1-15. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186629
- Awareness and support for New Zealand’s Smokefree 2025 goal and key measures to achieve it. International Tobacco Control (ITC) New Zealand and ITC Cross-Country findings.Wellington, June 2020.
- Denormalisation of smokers in the context of an endgame goal. findings of the ITC New Zealand survey (Poster).Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 26th Annual Meeting,11-14 March 2020, New Orleans.
- Reasons for stopping e-cigarette use amongst smokers: Findings from the 2018 ITC New Zealand Survey.European Conference on Tobacco or Health, Berlin, GermanyFebruary 19-22, 2020
- The Impact of Enhanced Pictorial Health Warnings: Pre-Post Evaluation Findings from the 2016-18 ITC New Zealand Surveys.European Conference on Tobacco or Health,Berlin, Germany: February 19-22, 2020.
- White, M. Chung-Hall, J. Sansone, G. Driezen, P. Meng, G. Craig, L. Fong, G.Standardised packaging for tobacco products in New Zealand: evidence of policy impact from the International Tobacco Control Evaluation Project.Wellington, February 2020.
- Perceptions of smoker stigmatization among New Zealand Māori and quitting behaviour findings from the Indigenous ITC NZ study.Proceedings of the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco (SRNT) Annual Meeting. (pp. 130).
- Beliefs among adult smokers and quitters about nicotine and de-nicotinized cigarettes in the 2016-17 ITC New Zealand Survey.Tobacco Regulatory Science,5(5), 400-409.
- Support among smokers and recent quitters for measures included in a plan to achieve smokefree 2025: Findings from the ITC New Zealand survey. [Oral presentation].Society for Research into Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) 25th Annual Meeting Conference, San Francisco, California, United States,2019, Feb 20-23
- Are children smoke-free at home? Using wearable cameras to study children's exposure to smoking and smoking paraphernalia in private spaces.Child: Care, Health and Development,45(2), 306-309.
- Are children smoke-free at home? Using wearable cameras to study children’s exposure to smoking and smoking paraphernalia in private spaces.Child: Care, Health and Development,Advance online publication.
- A toxic brew. Smoking and drinking among indigenous and non-indigenous smokers: Findings from the New Zealand ITC survey [Poster].12th Asia Pacific Conference on Tobacco or Health, Bali, Indonesia,13-15 September 2018.
- Achieving the tobacco endgame: the case for very low nicotine cigarettes. Findings from indigenous and non-indigenous smokers and recent quitters in the ITC New Zealand Survey [Poster].12th Asia Pacific Conference on Tobacco or Health, Bali, Indonesia,13-15 September 2018.
- Smoking prevalence among doctors and nurses: 2013 New Zealand census data.New Zealand Medical Journal,131(1471), 48-57.
- Achieving the tobacco endgame: The case for removing additives: Findings from the ITC New Zealand Survey.17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH), Cape Town, South Africa,2018
- Indigenous and non-indigenous experiences and views of tobacco tax increases: Findings from the ITC New Zealand survey.Tobacco Induced Diseases,16(Suppl. 1), A684
- Indigenous and non-indigenous experiences and views of tobacco tax increases: Findings from the ITC New Zealand Survey [Poster].17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH), Cape Town, South Africa,2018
- Use of roll-your-own tobacco among smokers in New Zealand: results from the ITC New Zealand Survey [Poster].17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH), Cape Town, South Africa,2018
- Use of e-cigarettes among smokers and recent quitters: results from the ITC New Zealand Survey [Poster].17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH), Cape Town, South Africa,2018
- Smoking and quitting in social networks among indigenous and non-indigenous smokers: Findings from the ITC New Zealand survey.Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SNRT) 24th Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland,2018
- Hardening among indigenous and non-indigenous smokers: Findings from the ITC New Zealand Survey.Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SNRT) 24th Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland,2018
- Views about e-cigarettes among smokers and recent quitters: results from the New Zealand ITC project (Oral presentation).From vision to reality: a tobacco-free Oceania. Oceania Tobacco Control Conference, Hobart, Australia,2017, October
- Patterns of use of e-cigarettes among smokers and recent quitters: results from the New Zealand ITC project (Oral presentation).From vision to reality: a tobacco-free Oceania. Oceania Tobacco Control Conference, Hobart, Australia,2017, October
- Smokers’ awareness, understanding and support for Smokefree 2025: results from the New Zealand ITC project (Oral presentation).From vision to reality: a tobacco-free Oceania. Oceania Tobacco Control Conference, Hobart, Australia,2017, October
- Smoker support for retail and supply interventions: results from the New Zealand ITC project (Oral presentation).From vision to reality: a tobacco-free Oceania. Oceania Tobacco Control Conference, Hobart, Australia,2017, October
- High and very low smoking prevalence occupations: data from the New Zealand census (Oral presentation).From vision to reality: a tobacco-free Oceania. Oceania Tobacco Control Conference, Hobart, Australia,2017, October
- Māori smoker perceptions of tobacco tax (Oral presentation).From vision to reality: a tobacco-free Oceania. Oceania Tobacco Control Conference, Hobart, Australia,2017, October
- Māori smoker support for achieving a Smokefree Aotearoa by 2025 (Oral presentation).From vision to reality: a tobacco-free Oceania. Oceania Tobacco Control Conference, Hobart, Australia,2017, October
- How does the impact of pictorial health warnings vary by ethnicity and type of cigarette smoked? (Oral presentation).Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 23rd Annual Meeting, Florence, Italy,2017, March
- Smoking prevalence in New Zealand from 1996-2015: A critical review of national data sources to inform progress toward the Smokefree 2025 goal.New Zealand Medical Journal,129(1439), 11-22.