Dr Helen Morrin

Helen Morrin is curator of the He Taonga Tapu Cancer Society Tissue Bank and scientific officer at the University Otago Christchurch. She has been involved in biobanking for 25 years with her background in cancer research and diagnostic pathology. Her role has required the development of all aspects of biobanking from collection to distribution, and has built a unique Aotearoa - specific collection of gifted tissues from over 15,000 cancer patients who donated for future research.

Helen’s particular interest is in the ethics, legislation & social implications of biobanking which extends globally as an invited member of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) Science Policy Steering Committee, Education and Training Steering Committee, board member ‘Biopreservation and Biobanking’, and the University of Otago’s ethics committee.

In 2023 Helen was the recipient of the New Zealand Society of Oncology ‘Bridget Robinson Award’ for exceptional contributions to translational cancer research, and remains research active with interests in interventional studies, digital pathology, and breast cancer.