CURTIN UNIVERSITY
Research Field: Liver Disease
Liver cancer has become a steadily increasing global health problem and is associated with a
poor prognosis and low survival rates.
A/Prof Nina Tirnitz-Parker’s research focusses on the identification of biomarkers that may
predict disease progression and the discovery of novel treatment targets to improve patient
outcomes. She was elected to serve as Executive Director on the Board of the
Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA), chairs the GESA Research & Grants
Committee and is a member of the Australian National Liver Cancer Collaborative Steering
Committee. In addition, she co-leads the WA Liver Cancer Collaborative that aims to drive
progress towards personalised liver cancer treatments. Nina has communicated her
research via podcast, TV and radio interviews. She also enjoys promoting science to
students and presenting updates to the general public. In 2019, Nina was a member of the
largest ever all-female expedition to Antarctica, as part of ‘Homeward Bound – an
international leadership program for women in STEMM.
Nina graduated from Johannes Gutenberg-Universität in Mainz Germany before
undertaking her PhD studies at UWA. She is a tenured Associated Professor in the School of
Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at Curtin University and currently heads the Liver
Disease & Regeneration Laboratory at the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute.