13/05/2026
Cure Kids is deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Alistair Gunn, a remarkable clinician and researcher whose life’s work has profoundly shaped child health in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the world.
Professor Gunn was a distinguished physiologist and paediatrician, and an internationally respected pioneer in fetal and neonatal neuroscience. He was co-director of the Fetal Physiology and Neuroscience Group at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, and served as a paediatrician at Starship Children’s Hospital from 1999, dedicating his career to improving outcomes for our most vulnerable children.
Cure Kids is incredibly proud to have supported Professor Gunn’s research, which included helping lay the foundations for his groundbreaking discovery that cooling can protect the brain. This work led to the development of therapeutic brain cooling for newborns at risk of brain injury following difficult births, a world‑leading innovation that is now standard care internationally, giving countless children a better chance of a healthier future.
Professor Gunn also gave generously of his time and expertise as a member of Cure Kids’ Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee from 2009 to 2014. His guidance helped shape the research we fund, ensuring it delivers meaningful, lasting impact for children and their families.
We honour Professor Gunn’s extraordinary legacy and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, colleagues, and all those whose lives were touched by his work.
