Ruth Patricia Fitzgerald (born 1956) is a New Zealand anthropology academic, and as of 2019 is a full professor at the University of Otago.
: an ethnographic investigation of the meaning of care at the University of Otago, Fitzgerald joined the staff, rising to full professor in 2018.
[1][2][3] In 2015 Fitzgerald was awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand's Te Rangi Hiroa Medal.
[4][5] Her work covers the social and political context of many health issues, such as the ethics of reversing heritable deafness or terminating pregnancy.
[6] Fitzgerald has been called one of the 'founding scholars' of medical anthropology in New Zealand, alongside Julie Park.