Prof Tim Stokes heads the general practice and rural health department at the university's Dunedin School of Medicine, and is principal investigator in the research project.
The research aims to deliver better health care for people with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Otago-Southland.
And the $199,793 grant was one of four ''Research Partnerships for New Zealand Health Delivery'' grants announced by the HRC this week.
Severe COPD was ''a disease of national importance'', particularly for Maori, and often resulted in ''ongoing health problems'', repeated hospital admissions and a ''significant cost to the health sector'', Prof Stokes said.
The research aimed to build a ''really rich research picture'' of the problem and to also consider ''how can we address this'', he said in an interview.
A British-born academic general practitioner, Prof Stokes took up his Otago post as the Elaine Gurr Chair of General Practice at the Otago department last July.
Prof Stokes said this was his first major research grant since joining Otago University, and it was ''great'' to see close collaboration between the university and the SDHB in research which aimed to improve healthcare.
Prof Stokes, who also works part-time as a GP at the Mornington Health Centre, is collaborating in the research with Dr Jack Dummer, a consultant in respiratory medicine at the Dunedin Hospital and a senior lecturer in respiratory medicine at the university.
The 15-month study will determine healthcare usage by people with severe COPD admitted to southern hospitals, through a case notes review involving at least 300 cases.
The research will also determine the healthcare needs of people with severe COPD through interviewing a wide range of patients after admission and six months later.
Health professionals, patient groups and stakeholders would also be interviewed to identify ''the barriers and enablers'' to the provision of ''high quality, person-centred and integrated care'' for COPD.
Other partnership projects supported: Gayl Humphrey, Auckland University, $200,000, antimicrobial prescribing app, in partnership with Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau DHBs; Associate Prof Ralph Maddison, Auckland University, $198,000, heart disease-related research, in partnership with Auckland DHB and Waitemata DHB, Dr Paul Young, Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, $200,000, stress ulcer treatment in partnership with the Intensive Care Research Centre, two other health-related organisations, and New Zealand district health boards.
