In 2024 she was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Motor Neuron Disease research.
Scotter completed a PhD in pharmacology at the University of Auckland, working on Huntington's disease.
[4] Scotter's team has shown that New Zealand has one of the highest incidences of motor neuron disease in the world.
[2] There are around 35 different genes involved in MND, but only around 10 per cent of cases are known to be genetic, and environmental causes are also believed to play a part.
[2][6][7] In the 2024 King's Birthday Honours, Scotter was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Motor Neuron Disease research.