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The PHA - an informed, collaborative and strong advocate for public health.

Public Health Champion 2009  –  Cheryl Brunton

A bullet in her letterbox is one of the more unusual features in the life of Medical Officer of Health, Dr Cheryl Brunton, Public Health champion for 2009.

Paying tribute to Dr Brunton, PHA president Richard Egan said despite quite personal attacks, including the bullet in the letterbox, she was a courageous advocate of gun control on both a local and national level.

"She used the same determination to bring the issue of hepatitis C to national awareness, and it has driven her work, over the last 20 years, with injecting drug users (IDU) and the needle exchange programme. This is a public health practitioner who takes on unpopular issues and never gives up doing everything she can to improve the health of those affected by them," Mr Egan told the delegates.

As Medical Officer of Health for the West Coast and Canterbury, Dr Brunton received the Public Health Champion award after several months of frantic activity coping with the demands made by the triple threats of swine flu, whooping cough and measles.

"Public health services have been stretched responding to these epidemics but good planning, dedicated staff and leadership of people like Dr Brunton have contributed to an effective response," says Mr Egan.

Dr Brunton is also a senior lecturer in public health at the University of Otago in Christchurch and Richard Egan says that many students, in particular those in the Masters of Public Health programme are indebted to her inspiring, expert guidance and her encouragement as their supervisor and mentor.

Dr Brunton's work with hepatitis C began when she investigated an outbreak at Christchurch Prison in 1991. This led to an on-going interest in hepatitis C research and advocacy. She helped establish the Auckland and Christchurch Hep C support groups, was instrumental in founding the Christchurch Hepatitis C Resource Centre and was the inaugural chair of its trust board. She also took part in the development of the first national Hepatitis C Action Plan.

She continues to arrange conferences, workshops and training on Hep C, played a part in the establishment of the Hepatitis C community clinic in Christchurch, and is part of its advisory group.

"Stemming from her work in Hep C, Cheryl has also worked with injecting drug user groups and the needle exchange programme for almost 20 years. She helps to conduct national needle exchange serosurveys and has led and encouraged research into blood-borne viruses among IDU. She's advocated for needle exchange as a public health measure and worked to counter the stigma and discrimination towards Hep C, injecting drug use and needle exchange," Mr Egan says.

Dr Brunton's other recent research interests have included the impact of the reform of prostitution law, influenza in travellers, a survey of vaccine-preventable disease and a hand sanitiser study.

If all this did not make her busy enough, she’s also been an active member of the Public Health Association’s Canterbury branch since it began. Mr Egan said Cheryl Brunton’s contributions to the priorities and aims of the organisation and to public health throughout New Zealand has been "invaluable".

Of all the various ways she is involved with public health, Dr Brunton believes the issue most threatening to it is climate change. "It's going to make every other issue we get exercised about pale into insignificance, if we don't do enough, soon enough, to mitigate its effects."

Dr Brunton is mother to 16 year old Phil and away from public health and medical matters she enjoys reading fiction and non-fiction and watching movies – "except blockbusters" – and is particularly musical having played the guitar, violin and tuba (though only the guitar gets picked up these days). She loves classical music, particularly from the Baroque era, blues and jazz.

And when she can get away from work to enjoy one, a perfect day for Cheryl Brunton is, with the chores behind her, looking out on the sunny snow-capped Southern Alps with music playing softly in the background – and anticipating getting into a good book.