Cathy Stinear

Academic career

Stinear did not want to go to university, and left school during her seventh form year to take a job in a circus. She then trained as a pilot, and worked as a flying instructor. At age 23 Stinear began studying at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic, before realising her interest lay in neuroscience, and transferring to a master's degree in physiology at the University of Auckland. Stinear followed this with a PhD titled Motor cortex inhibition in focal hand dystonia also at Auckland. Stinear then joined the faculty of the University of Auckland, rising to full professor in 2019. Stinear is Director of the Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, deputy head of the Department of Medicine, and works in clinical practice at Auckland District Health Board’s Stroke Unit. She is also Pro-Vice Chancellor Equity at the university. Stinear chaired the Neurological Foundation's science advisory committee for four years, and was appointed Chair of their council in 2021, following on from Dr Barry Snow. She is the first woman to chair the foundation.

Stinear's postdoctoral research covered stroke rehabilitation, and she has continued to work in this area, using neurophysiological and neuromodulation techniques to work directly with patients, and to make individualised predictions for stroke recovery.