Penny Hunt

Penny Hunt is a Consultant Endocrinologist working at Christchurch Hospital, and in private practice, and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Christchurch School of Medicine, University of Otago. Penny graduated from the Otago Medical School  before working in Christchurch where she completed her MD thesis identifying the novel peptide ProBNP – now utilized worldwide as a routine marker of cardiac dysfunction.  Her postgraduate fellowship was at Oxford University, UK, focusing on the genetics of autoimmune thyroid disease and DHEA therapy in adrenal insufficiency.  Her current work is predominantly teaching and clinical endocrinology, with research resulting from clinical scenarios – including describing the first association of parental iron treatment with hypophosphataemia. She also has an interest in endocrinological aspects of sport.

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Gender Controversies In Elite Sport

Competitive sporting endeavours have traditionally been divided into binary male and female categories however the biological reality is that sex in humans is a continuum with no clear single determinant.  Devising eligibility criteria to accommodate this reality is challenging and raises unique scientific, ethical and legal issues.  This talk will detail the history of elite sport eligibility criteria and cover endocrine aspects of gender and sporting performance.  Recent controversial cases from the international sporting arena will be discussed, together with the scientific evidence being presented to help best achieve a fair and level playing field.