Rate My Professor Rina Wong

Dr Rina Wong (Fu) is a knowledge broker and research fellow in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University, as well as a teaching academic at Curtin Medical School. She holds a BSc (Hons) and a PhD from The University of Western Australia. Her PhD research on malaria drug resistance in Papua New Guinea earned her the Australian Society for Parasitology Sprent Medal. Throughout her career, she has published extensively on Plasmodium falciparum drug susceptibility, resistance mechanisms, and novel antimalarials. Notable publications include "Desbutyl-Lumefantrine Is a Metabolite of Lumefantrine with Potent In Vitro Antimalarial Activity That May Influence Artemether-Lumefantrine Treatment Outcome" (Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2011), "Polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum Chloroquine Resistance Transporter and Multidrug Resistance 1 Genes: Parasite Risk Factors That Affect Treatment Outcomes" (Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2014), and "In vitro susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum isolates from East New Britain Province to antimalarial drugs using a colorimetric lactate dehydrogenase assay" (2018). Recent research interests encompass malaria, adult stem cells, Australian tea tree oil, and COVID-19.

Dr Wong is also a lecturer and unit coordinator in medical science, microbiology, and haematology at Curtin University and Edith Cowan University, where she has tutored since 2012. Her innovative teaching integrates edutainment, including original songs, animations, videos, and interactive workshops, earning her the Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2022. In 2025, she was awarded the Premier’s Science Awards STEM Educator of the Year (Tertiary), the Bridget Ogilvie Medal by the Australian Society for Parasitology for contributions to parasitology education, and the Cheryl Power Early Career Microbiology Educator Award by the Australian Society for Microbiology. As a science communicator, she authored the picture book "My Mad Scientist Mummy," produced the internationally award-winning "MicroToons-Pimple" with autistic artists, and engages communities through workshops, school talks, and fortnightly radio appearances on ABC Radio Great Southern and 98.5 Sonshine FM, reaching over 15,000 young people. She has delivered keynotes and invited talks at events such as EduCon by the Australian Society for Microbiology and the SAE/ACAP graduation.