Transdisciplinary research to address youth vaping in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract Transdisciplinary educational approaches are increasingly being used to prepare students to address complex societal challenges that extend beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. This paper describes a pilot programme at the University of Auckland that embedded transdisciplinary research into undergraduate education, drawing on principles from the Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) model as a proof-of-concept pedagogical initiative. Youth vaping is a growing public health challenge in Aotearoa New Zealand, providing an authentic context through which to explore this educational approach. Over ten weeks, six undergraduate University students from Public Health, Education, and Engineering disciplines collaborated to synthesise evidence, explore disciplinary perspectives, and co-design strategies to reduce youth vaping. Activities included literature reviews, data scraping for surveillance research, and a final solutions project presented as research posters and a stakeholder pitch. Reflections demonstrated that students developed leadership, transdisciplinary collaboration, and critical thinking skills while contributing culturally informed insights that reflected Māori and Pacific perspectives and the experiences of young people in New Zealand to policy debate. Reflections also highlighted challenges associated with implementing a transdisciplinary, VIP-inspired approach within a short-term programme. This proof-of-concept pedagogy pilot demonstrates how transdisciplinary research experiences that break down traditional disciplinary silos can be integrated into higher education to address complex societal challenges.