Associate Professor Nina Tirnitz-Parker.
You may already know Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI) Associate Professor Nina Tirnitz-Parker as the Head of our Liver Disease and Regeneration Laboratory and a current Homeward Bound #4 leadership program participant but here is something new – she has just been elected as a Director on the Board of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA).
Congratulations to Nina, who is the only biomedical researcher amongst clinicians on the Board and is looking forward to bringing her unique perspective to its operations during her two-year term from 2019-2021.
GESA is the Australian body representing patients, clinicians and scientists in the field of gastrointestinal diseases.
“I believe that research is an integral part of our society and that unmet clinical needs are best addressed when researchers and clinicians work closely together,” Nina said.
“By capitalising on each other’s strengths and expertise, we can drive the research towards a meaningful outcome for patients.”
Nina’s own expertise includes researching chronic liver disease, which she describes as a worldwide challenge with the incidence of liver cancer rising steadily over the past few decades.
“Unfortunately, ageing can enhance vulnerability to various liver diseases and the prognosis for an elderly person affected by fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis or liver transplantation is often worse,” she said.
“We know that special attention must be paid to the monitoring and treatment of older liver disease and cancer patients. However, importantly, our research benefits patients of all age groups of course.”
Nina’s GESA commitments will include travelling to Australia’s eastern states for face-to-face meetings every three months and she has already observed a meeting in Melbourne in June as preparation for her first official one as a Director in Adelaide this September. This will be just in time to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Australian Gastroenterology Week, which runs from 8-10 September and where Nina will chair the Basic Science session.
As the peak membership organisation for health care professionals and researchers working in the fields of gastroenterology and hepatology, GESA’s role is to set, promote and continuously improve the standards of Australian clinical practice, training, research and patient care in these fields. More information is on the GESA website.
