Rate My Professor Alex Tino

Alex Tino is an Assistant Research Fellow in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Otago, Christchurch, within the Faculty of Medicine in the Health Sciences Division. She is a PhD candidate in the Gynaecological Cancer Research Group, led by Associate Professor Peter Sykes, where her doctoral research investigates the effects of natural food compounds on ovarian cancer. Earlier, as an MSc student, she worked on three-dimensional spheroids of ovarian cancer models in the Laboratory for Cell and Protein Regulation. Tino also contributes as a co-supervisor for postgraduate research opportunities, including the Health Research Council-funded JOURNEYS project examining inequities in the pathway from health to gynaecological cancer in Aotearoa, alongside Dr Carrie Innes and Dr Bryony Simcock.

Tino has co-authored peer-reviewed publications advancing gynaecological cancer research. Notable works include 'Effects of Resveratrol on In Vivo Ovarian Cancer Cells Implanted on the Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) of a Chicken Embryo Model' in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024, with Kenny Chitcholtan, Melanie Singh, Ashley Garrill, and Peter Sykes), 'Perceived barriers to self-collected HPV testing for cervical cancer screening and knowledge of HPV: a survey of primary healthcare smear-takers across Aotearoa New Zealand' in the New Zealand Medical Journal (2024, with Sarah Ingamells and others), and 'Resveratrol and acetyl-resveratrol modulate activity of VEGF receptors in ovarian cancer cells in vitro' in the Journal of Ovarian Research (2016). She received a scholarship from the Health Research Council of New Zealand to support her studies. In 2024, Tino was awarded the Matariki staff award in the Tōtara Tū ki te Parae / Social Accountability category at the University of Otago, Christchurch, for providing an essential voice for Pacific people, applying a Pacific lens to gynae-oncology research, and serving as Chair of the Pacific Advisory Group for several obstetrics and gynaecology studies.