DrVictoria Chinn

Victoria is a Lecturer in Health. Originally from Portland, Oregon in the States, she moved to Wellington in 2014 to pursue her PhD in Public Health at Massey University. After graduating, she held several teaching and research positions at Massey University, University of Otago (Wellington), and VUW, where she was appointed Lecturer in 2020.

Victoria is interested in how wellbeing is experienced and enacted in everyday life. In particular, she aspires to align these experiences with the way health is promoted and evaluated using empowering and holistic approaches. Her current research primarily focusses on two streams: 1) exploring women's empowerment in everyday health behaviour, and 2) co-designing a system of support with rangatahi (young people) experiencing psychosis. 

She uses empowering approaches in the classroom by encouraging students to learn by drawing from, and building upon their lived experiences, existing knowledge, and strengths. She has taught primarily in health promotion and human sciences. She currently teaches Human Biology for Health and Nutrition Literacy for the 21st Century.

Outside of the classroom, you can often find Victoria adventuring around the coastlines of Aotearoa and beyond. She is happiest in and around the sea.